June 29, 2004
Some reports out of Detroit indicate Mathieu has rejected a contract extension that would see him paid $4 million a season, a scant (in professional sports terms, at least) $250,000 more than he received last year. Other reports indicate that Red Wings GM Ken Holland extended a deal (with undisclosed terms) 10 days ago and has yet to receive a response either way from Mathieu and his agent Mike Gillis. The only thing that seems certain is that Mathieu will become an unrestricted free agent Thursday.
June 23, 2004
Not much news to report. Various Detroit area news sources report contract talks between Mathieu's agent and the Red Wings management are going slow. Unless a contract extension can be worked out before July 1, Mathieu will become an unrestricted free agent and will be free to talk and/or sign with other teams.
May 20, 2004
Mathieu was named today to the title defending USA World Cup Team. The team will hold their training camp in Columbus, Ohio, from Aug. 20-30 and play the first exhibition game on August 23 versus Canada. The first game will be played August 31 in Montreal, also versus Canada. Mathieu was on the last USA World Cup team in 1996.
May 17, 2004
An Unofficial Mathieu Schneider HomePage Exclusive!
Now that the season is completed, I can give the final tallies for the "real plus/minus" (see October 17). Mathieu was on the ice for 102 goals scored by the Red Wings, and 63 scored by the opponent, giving him an overall true +/- rating of +39. Because so much of his time is spent on the powerplay, the number is higher than the official +22. Either way, not a bad showing, and good for first on the team.
May 5, 2004
With the season being officially over for the Red Wings, contract talks will soon resume. Said Mathieu, an impending unrestricted free agent, "Obviously, I want to be here. It's been a great situation for me. I love playing with Nick (Lidstrom). The organization has treated me amazing. It's a great place to play hockey. I'm very optimistic everything will work out. But right now it's the last thing on my mind." Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News was unsure whether Mathieu would return to the Wings next season: "(He) played at Norris Trophy (best defenseman) level early in the season, but fell off just a bit in the second half and playoffs. The Wings want him back, and he wants to stay, but negotiating a salary (he earned $3.75 million this season) could be tricky."
May 4, 2004
Sadly, the Wings were defeated 1-0 in overtime and were eliminated from the playoffs. Mathieu was held pointless in the second round series.
May 3, 2004
With emotional leader Yzerman out of the line-up and the Wings facing elimination, tonight will be a tough game. Says Mathieu, "It gives us something more to play for, to play long enough to get Steve back in the lineup. We have no choice but to go ahead without him. We know what we have to do, just block everything out and become extremely focused." GOOD LUCK RED WINGS!!
May 1, 2004
The Wings lost that game and lost Steve Yzerman indefinetely. Yzerman was injured when a Mathieu slap shot defelected oddly off Calgary defenseman Rhett Warrener and hit him near the eye. Yzerman was in great pain and left for x-rays. But before he left, he stopped by the locker room for some encouraging words.
April 27, 2004
Not such a great game for Mathieu (or the Wings for that matter). He was on the ice for all 3 goals against, and inadvertantly deflected the first goal. But not all is bad. Says Ted Kulfan, who gave Mathieu a "B" grade: "(He) Is playing as well as any Wings defenseman at both ends. But this wasn’t his best game of these playoffs." Game summary: (high-sticking), 8:53 of 1st.
April 25, 2004
Another "B+" for Mathieu from Ted Kulfan: "Played a lot of key minutes and was a positive force on the blue line with Nicklas Lidstrom. His play has been nothing but positive."
April 24, 2004
Game summary: (roughing), 8:05 of 2nd.
April 23, 2004
For his effort in last night's overtime lose, Mathieu was given a "B+" by the Detroit News' Ted Kulfan: "It’s difficult to find too much fault in his game. He’s getting the puck on the net, with four shots in Game 1."
April 22, 2004
Said Mathieu of not being nominated for the Norris: "I wasn’t expecting it. It would have been a nice honor, but there’s only one trophy that matters to me." See the Quotes section for more of Mathieu's thoughts. But most telling, was a quote from teammate, and three time Norris winner, Niklas Lidstrom: "I think Schneids should have been one of the three nominated. He had a real strong season. Good offensively, good defensively, just overall, he had a real good year."
April 21, 2004
Not super surprising, but Mathieu was not among the finalists for the Norris Trophy this year. While I'm sure it is disappointing, I'm sure he is only concerned about one trophy right now: the Stanley Cup. The Wings start round 2 versus Calgary tomorrow in Detroit.
April 20, 2004
Another nice little piece about Mathieu and his "Norris caliber" season in John Niyo's Detroit News article titled Schneider could become Norris finalist: Defenseman has exceeded expectations
April 17, 2004
Last year, Mathieu and the Wings were eliminated from the playoffs on my birthday. This year, they advance. Said Mathieu: "When we finally came out playing desperate hockey, playing the way that’s won us big games all year long, it wasn’t even close. We beat them on the scoreboard. We beat them on the shot clock. We beat them all over the ice. It was just a matter of playing that desperate hockey."
April 15, 2004
Game summary: Lidstrom (PP)(Lang, Schneider), 9:25 of 2nd.
April 13, 2004
The whole Wings team seems to be struggling right now. And Mathieu has been taking a beating from the Predators. Game summary: (roughing), 20:00 of 1st; (boarding), 12:33 of 3rd.
April 11, 2004
Could it be retribution for his comments against the Predators? Mathieu took a pretty good beating in today's lose in Nashville. He took no less then seven whacks to the arm by Steve Sullivan (who wasn't penalized). Mathieu got his revenge when he gave Sullivan an unpenalized slash to the back of the knee, which sent Sullivan limping to the bench and screaming at the referees.
April 10, 2004
Mathieu had some words about what the Red Wings think are dives by the Predators: There's a reason that team led the league in power plays in the regular season (with 426 chances). They go down pretty easy. When you look at it, they're embarrassing the officials, they're embarrassing the league when they go down when somebody touches them. It's just awful. We don't play that way. Our guys aren't diving. We're just going out and playing a good, hard game."
As for the game, talk about a fluck goal. Mathieu gets the game winning goal (his first playoff goal in 11 years!), but he didn't really score. His shot ricocheted off the boards and then off the Predators' own goalie. Said Mathieu: "I thought it was underneath him, I turned my head and thought the play was over. I can't believe it went in." Game summary: (PP)(Lidstrom, Shanahan), 17:15 of 3rd.
April 8, 2004
Mathieu was given a "B+" grade by the Detroit News' Ted Kulfan: "All season, he created offense, and he continued to do so Wednesday."
April 7, 2004
The game winning goal tonight was scored on a tip-in of a beautiful shot by Mathieu. Game summary: Holmstrom (Schneider, Lang), 4:55 of 3rd.
April 6, 2004
Here is the Detroit News' Ted Kulfan's review of the season and preview of the playoffs: "Arguably the Wings’ most consistent defenseman during the season, Schneider has shown a varied and productive all-round game. He’s dangerous on the power play, possessing a booming shot. A smart passer, underrated in the physical part of the game, and an adapt puckhandler, there’s no reason to think Schneider will slow down now." Nice!
April 5, 2004
With all the media hype about Mathieu having a career year, did he really? Offensively speaking, not really. He was shy of meeting all major offensive records: goals (-6), assists (-7), points (-8), PP goals (-7), PP assists (-17), and, the big one, PP goals (-20). The 1995-1996 season remains the one to beat offensively. Defensive play, of course, can't really be quanitatively measured.
April 4, 2004
The Red Wings will face the Nashville Predators in the first round of the playoffs, beginning April 7. Follow Mathieu's stats in the Stats section, updated after every game.
April 3, 2004
As expected, no contract extension deal was reached, and contract talks will resume following the playoffs. And in regular season finale, Mathieu played just over 7 minutes before bowing out after the first period feeling sick. He is expected to return to practice Monday.
April 2, 2004
Red Wings GM Ken Holland and Mathieu's agent Mike Gillis have been actively working on a contract extention. Holland ceases all contract negotiations during the playoffs, and unless Mathieu signs an extention by Saturday there will be no news on the contract front until the season offically ends. Neither side particularly expects anything to be settled by then.
March 27, 2004
If my missing Mathieu play was the price to pay for the turn around the Red Wings have seen in the last few days, it was WELL worth it! In two games without Mathieu, the Wings had 2 loses and 15(!) goals against. In the 2 games since he has been back, the Wings have 2 wins and 1 goal against. I can't say it is amazing, because I appreciate his talent, but it is still an incredible testament to his value to the team. Game summary: (PP)(Lidstrom, Hull), 19:50 of 2nd.
March 25, 2004
edited-- Despite not participating in practice, Mathieu did suit up for tonight's game in Colorado. He logged over 24 minutes. Game summary: (high-sticking), 11:40 of 2nd.
March 23, 2004
It was the right decision, but still is lousy for me. Mathieu did not play in tonight's game in San Jose in order to further rest and get stronger. Here are his various quotes: "It's nothing major, nothing I won't be able to come back from and be 100 percent. If it was a do or die game I'd be able to play, but there's no sense (taking a risk) right now. So close to the playoffs, you want to err on the side of caution. The good thing is it felt better yesterday, it feels better today. Hopefully it'll keep going at the same pace and I hope to be in Thursday." He says the injury was aggrevated by the bad ice conditions in LA, something he knows a lot about. So, too bad for me, and the Wings really did miss him (they have gone 0-2 and given up 13! goals in his absence), but hopefully he'll be 100% and strong for the playoffs. Besides, I'm a Sharks fan, and it was nice to be able to cheer their goals without first checking to see if #23 is on the ice...
March 22, 2004
Mathieu is questionable for tomorrow's game in San Jose, which just happens to be a game I am actually going to. =(
March 21, 2004
Mathieu was a late scratch tonight, deciding to sit out after the pre-game warm-ups due to a sore groin/hip. He is listed as day to day.
March 18, 2004
The Red Wings nearly had a win in overtime, but Brendan Shanahan's shot that deflected off of Mathieu's skate into the net with .2 seconds left in OT was waved off. Game summary: (tripping), 17:50 of 1st.
March 16, 2004
This week's Over the boards... feature in the Detroit News is with Mathieu. Check it out for Mathieu take on accupuncture, Muppets, and all things ticklish. note: Fozzie is cool, but I'm more of a Swedish Chef fan myself. =)
March 11, 2004
Game summary: Williams (Whitney, Schneider), 7:46 of 3rd.
March 3, 2004
Third star of the game honors for Mathieu tonight. Game summary: Zetterberg (PP)(Schneider), 4:29 of 2nd; (slashing), 6:06 of 1st.
February 29, 2004 (Leap Day!!)
Mathieu earned a second star of the game tonight. Game summary: (Lang), 4:26 of 1st; Maltby (PP)(Schneider, Draper), 14:19 of 2nd; (holding), 6:47 of 1st.
February 27, 2004
Red Wings GM Ken Holland and Mathieu's agent Mike Gillis met for two hours regarding a contract extention. They plan to meet again before Holland halts all talks during the playoffs. Mathieu, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, has indicated his desire to stay in Detroit. And Holland was quoted as saying "Mathieu's certainly a guy that we want back."
February 24, 2004
Game summary: Draper (PP)(Schneider, Yzerman), 6:36 of 2nd; (hooking), 15:20 of 2nd; (high-sticking), 6:42 of 3rd.
February 20, 2004
Game summary: Zetterberg (PP)(Whitney, Schneider), 16:31 of 2nd; (interference), 13:22 of 3rd.
February 18, 2004
Not only has he scored goals in back to back games, both of Mathieu's goals have been the game winning goals. And tonight also brings Mathieu first star of the game honors. Game summary: (high-sticking), 3:23 of 1st; (PP)(Holmstrom, Datsyuk), 8:27 of 2nd.
February 17, 2004
We know how Detroit fans and media feel about Mathieu's play being deserving of Norris consideration. Now, even nhl.com's Shawn P. Roarke is offering his thoughts on Mathieu's creditentials in this month's Norris Tracker feature.
February 16, 2004
Game summary: (Shananhan, Zetterberg), 13:19 of 2nd.
February 14, 2004
Game summary: (slashing), 16:11 of 3rd.
February 11, 2004
Game summary: (holding), 19:50 of 3rd.
February 9, 2004
My eldest nephew has been learning about central tendency in school (remember mean, median and mode?), and I looked for more numbers for him to practice with as I helped him study. Enter Mathieu's stats. After all the work, it seemed a shame to just toss it, so I'm posting our findings here. Besides, I'm bored at work today, so whipping up a table at least gives me something to do. =)
These are unique stats we found ourselves (more practice at finding percents, etc), and you won't find them anywhere else. I'm not a statistician by any stretch, but I think the math is correct...
| Stat | Career Mean | Career Median | Career Mode | High Outlier | Low Outlier | Season to date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
(95-96) | (92-93) | |||||
(96-97) | (91-92) | |||||
(99-00) | (87-88) | |||||
(92-93) | (99-00) | |||||
(93-94) | (91-92) | |||||
(95-96) | (99-00) |
What do we learn from this? 1) Tim should ace any test on central tendancy; 2) My own stats teacher in school was really good, because I still remember this stuff (thank you Ms. Wiese!), and 3) Mathieu wasn't being diplomatic when he said he hasn't changed his game. More attention and accolades this year, but same stats (offensively speaking, at least).
February 4, 2004
Mathieu becomes a free agent this summer, and has already expressed his desire to finish his career in Detroit. But with the looming labor dispute, he understands why Detroit has not started communication with his agent, Dan Gillis: "Everyone's busy during the season, there are other issues with the (possible) lockout coming up, other free agents out there, different factors. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to stay. I look at it as a great opportunity to win. A team with a history like this, you're lucky to get a chance to play for them."
February 3, 2004
Game summary: Hull (Whitney, Schneider), 1:01 of 2nd.
January 29, 2004
Mathieu and the Red Wings get a little attention on nhl.com today with Doug Ward's "West Notes." His piece "'Hockeytown' agrees with Schneider" features some good quotes from Mathieu on the All-Star game, the team's success, and the Norris talk.
As for the game... Five goals (and 7 points) in five games. After tonights first star of the game performance, Mathieu is officially on fire! Said coach Dave Lewis: "He's capitalizing on chances. He's a smart player and he knows when to jump in offensively. He's not a risk-taker, he's a smart offensive player." Game summary: (PP)(Shanahan, Holmstrom), 16:04 of 1st; Holmstrom (PP)(Schneider, Yzerman), 8:30 of 3rd.
January 28, 2004
A nice off the ice look at Mathieu and the Schneider clan from mlive's Ansar Khan. See "Schneider 'an All-Star without the title' in perhaps his best season" for topics ranging from his fantastic season, skating at Rockfeller Center, and his ever present smile, to his lack of bar bitzvah, his exhausted wife, and, of course, his fashion.
January 27, 2004
Mathieu is the story today in the Detroit News. The weekly "One the ice with..." features Mathieu today. And if you live in the Detroit area, pick up today's print edition of the paper for their exclusive, full-page poster.
January 26, 2004
And again, the official scoresheet for the game is wrong. Mathieu was not given credit for being on the ice for a goal on which he had an assist. Twice this year this has happened, at least that I have noticed. Game summary: Datsyuk (Fischer, Schneider), 7:32 of 1st.
January 24, 2004
Red Wings coach, and Western All-Star coach, Dave Lewis expressed disappointed over Mathieu's being passed over for teh All-Star game: "I don't understand. He's been playing like an All-Star since the beginning of the season, and that's a bit disappointing for me to see that he's not on the team." And Detroit News reporter Ted Kulfan went so far as to say Mathieu and fellow deserving candidate Mattias Ohlund of the Canucks "deserve an apology."
In regards to the snub, Mathieu stated what is becoming increasingly obvious: "For some reason I might be blacklisted this year -- a fine, a suspension and now this." Then, he took the high-road: "You know what? I'm looking forward to spending a few days with my family. It's a great honor and privilege to play in that game. But first and foremost is this team." And then he went on to score another goal, bringing his current steak to 4 goals in the last three games. Game summary: (Whitney, Shanahan), 8:46 of 3rd.
January 22, 2004
Eventhough he was snubbed from the NHL All-Star game this year, Mathieu proved tonight that he truly is a star player. He scored two goals (including the game winner) and picked up first star of the game honors against his former LA Kings. True hockey fans know where Mathieu belongs on February 8.
Game summary: (Dandenault, Holmstrom), 5:18 of 2nd; (unassisted), 13:52 of 3rd.
January 21, 2004
Game summary: (Fischer, Holmstrom), 10:40 of 2nd.
January 19, 2004
Mathieu was rested after his unplanned 2 game break and was anxious to return to action: "I got a nice rest. I spent some good time with the family." And he may have paid his dues to the league, but he's sure he'll have to answer to good friend Glen Murray later on: "I'll catch plenty of heat in the summer when we're training together." But, after all is said and done, will he change his style of play? His answer, "not at all": "That's the way I've played for the last 15 years, and I'm not going to change now. It was a fluke thing. For whatever reason, they decided it warranted a suspension, and that's out of my hands." Game summary: (high-sticking), 13:34 of 1st.
January 14, 2004
As one would expect, Mathieu had a lot to say about his suspension. Not only does he believe it was unwarranted and extreme in the case of the unintentional incident (afterall, it was against one of his best friends, so obviously it wasn't malicious), he felt that the incident was blown out of proportion by the endless replays shown on ABC. There was no penalty called and the Bruins did not raise complaint, so why was the incident even seen by the head office anyway? Colin Campbell was, of course and as usual, unavailable for comment. See the Quotes section for Mathieu's thoughts. (side note: highly unprofessional of me to offer this commentary, but, hey, I'm not a professional, so... As a fan, I have seen it for years, and Mathieu's suspension brings nothing new to light other than giving me an opportunity to say something in context of this page. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and this is very true in the case of the NHL. Colin Campbell has entirely too much power and he is undeniably abusing it at his whim or towards a goal he has set with his wildly inconsistent rulings biased towards and against certain players and teams. Mathieu said he felt the suspension was personal, and I don't doubt for a second that it was. The play was dangerous, and it was a penalty. I'm honest enough to think that all other things being equal, yeah, it could have been a game. But because of the league "warning," it became obvious they were watching him and waiting for the chance to do something. Campbell and the other dictators of the NHL don't have anyone fooled- and sadly, because of the structure and climate that has been created, they don't have to.)
January 13, 2004
Can't say he wasn't warned. Mathieu was suspended by the NHL today for two games after an unpenalized high-sticking incident Boston. From tsn.ca: "The incident occurred at 7:46 of the third period when Schneider struck Boston player Glen Murray in the neck area with his stick." He will forfeit $38,888.88 worth of salary to the Players Emergency Assistance Fund.
January 10, 2004
Game summary: (cross-checking), 0:28 of 3rd.
January 8, 2004
This time, it is the Detroit Free Press' Nicholas J. Cotsonika giving his midseason grades. Mathieu again receives an A: "Schneider has been the Wings' best defenseman.... We really didn't see what kind of player Schneider was last season... but we're seeing it now....At this point, at least, he is a Norris candidate."
January 7, 2004
More positive media attention, again from the Detroit News Ted Kulfan:
Schneider thrives with a winner. Basically, the article says that Mathieu is no better this year than he has been for years, but being in a winning environment helps his stats, and, as I've said, being a Red Wing brings him more attention: "Being acquired by the Wings at the trade deadline in March was pivotal in pushing Schneider into the spotlight and showing the NHL how effective he could be in the right environment."
January 5, 2004
More midseason grades, and another grade A, this time from Booth newspapers reporter Ansar Khan and published on mlive.com: "(Mathieu's) been a solid player in the league for many years but has exceeded all expectations with a tremendous first half, offensively and defensively. Right now he's a Norris Trophy finalist." Game summary: Lidstrom (PP)(Holmstrom, Schneider), 9:42 of 2nd.
January 3, 2004
An Unofficial Mathieu Schneider HomePage Exclusive!
After the first 41 games of the season, Mathieu by far leads the stacked Red Wings team in "real" plus/minus (see October 17 for explanation). In fact, he has been on the ice for the most goals for than any other Red Wing, and fewer goals against than any other player within similar minutes played. He has been on the ice for 66 goals for and 32 goals against, resulting in a +34. The next highest in "real" +/- is Niklas Listrom with a +21 (63 goals for/42 goals against). Next, Brett Hull is +17 (54/37) and Pavel Datsyuk is +16 (53/37).
Game summary: Maltby (Schneider, Yzerman), 16:39 of 3rd.
January 2, 2004
More high praise coming to Mathieu from Detroit media, this time in the piece "Schneider's a Keeper" in the Detroit News. Some highlights include coach Dave Lewis' quote "He's been real solid, right from day one," and the author's (Ted Kulfan) opening statement that "Red Wings fans are seeing this season just how good defenseman Mathieu Schneider really is." Game summary: Yzerman (PP)(Lidstrom, Schneider), 10:12 of 1st; (interference), 13:11 of 3rd.
December 31, 2003
I know it's late and I'm trying to get ready to go usher in the new year, but I don't think I'm too out of it... How does Mathieu get an assist without even being on the ice (see the see play by play)? He should be a +1 but is rated even after that little statistical screw-up. But he still gets third star of the game honors on this last day of 2003. Game summary: (Draper, Maltby), 0:32 of 2nd; Zetterberg (Whitney, Schneider), 2:24 of OT.
December 30, 2003
I've heard rumbling from Red Wings fans, but this is the first time the media has been so gushing about Mathieu's season thus far. After receiving the only solid A among Wings defenseman, Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News has this to say about Mathieu in his Midseason Grades: "Schneider might be the best defenseman in the league right now, better than even his teammate, Nicklas Lidstrom. If he continues to play this well at both ends of the ice, Schneider easily will be a Norris Trophy finalist."
December 23, 2003
Mathieu begins the holiday break with a little stat that brings me cheer: 3rd in the league overall in plus/minus. Wow.
December 22, 2003
The powers that be in NHL headquarters reportedly warned Mathieu that another cross-check like the one he committed versus San Jose would result in a three game suspension. Whoops... Game summary: (interference), 8:10 of 2nd.
December 18, 2003
The two standout Wings defenseman were given a little credit in today's Detroit Free Press ("Schneider, Woolley enjoying solid year"). Also in today's Free Press, a fan sent in her "Brushes with Wings" story featuring Brett Hull, Niklas Lidstrom, and Mathieu. Is it at all suprising, being the fashion maven that he is, that she bumps into him shopping at Bloomingdale's?
December 17, 2003
Game summary: (high-sticking), 1:39 of 2nd.
December 15, 2003
Random stat of the day: Of the 13 penalties Mathieu has taken this year, only one has lead to a goal against (in a game that ended as a tie). When Mathieu takes a penalty, the team has a winning percentage of 60% (10 games, 6 wins; when he takes no penalty, the Red Wings have a winning percentage of 56% (22 penalty free games, 12 wins). What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. I was just bored at work. =)
In the game tonight, Mathieu scored an empty-netter. Afterward, he gave the puck to his son Matty who spent his 3rd birthday in Chris Chelios' suite wacthing dad pick up third star of the game honors. Said papa, "He doesn't get to too many games, it's past his bedtime." Game summary: Schneider (EN)(Datsyuk, Shanahan), 19:01 of 3rd.
December 12, 2003
Game summary: Shanahan (Datsyuk, Schneider), 18:52 of 3rd.
December 11, 2003
Game summary: Schneider (Williams, Devereaux), 16:22 of 3rd; Devereaux (Schneider, Miller), 18:23 of 3rd; (holding), 7:10 of 1st; (cross-checking), 15:47 of 2nd.
December 8, 2003
Brett Hull credited his past teammates for helping him with the success that he has had, including Mathieu, who assisted tonight on Hull's career goal number 732 (which moves him into third on the NHL all-time scoring list). After the game, Hull said "It's all the people I've played with. I mean, if Schneider doesn't give me a great pass there, it's no goal." And a beautiful cross-ice pass to set-up the game winner in overtime it was.
Also, the Detroit News featured another very flattering quote from coach Dave Lewis about Mathieu: "He's been one of the best defensemen in the league for quite a few years now," Lewis said. "He's showing everyone what he's capable of." Game summary: Datsyuk (PP)(Hull, Schneider), 6:25 of 1st; Hull (Schneider, Woolley), 1:51 of OT.
December 6, 2003
Game summary: Hull (Schneider, Thomas), 19:40 of 1st.
December 4, 2003
Game summary: Yzerman (Draper, Schneider), 7:29 of 3rd.
Decemeber 3, 2003
After all games were completed tonight, Mathieu ranked 9th in the NHL (yes, the whole league) in plus/minus, and second among defenseman (behind only his teammate Jason Woolley). (side note: I still don't like the stat, but that is amazing! In my 10+ years as a fan, I've never seen that stat so high for him.) Game summary: Datsyuk (Schneider, Hull), 13:15 of 2nd; Datsyuk (Schneider), 16:29 of 2nd.
November 29, 2003
Game summary: (interference), 18:04 of 1st.
November 28, 2003
Game summary: (boarding), 3:39 of 3rd.
November 26, 2003
The Detroit News reported that Mathieu was excused from practice for family reasons, but was expected to, and did, play tonight. And he was on the ice for 5 of the Red Wings 6 goals! Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Yzerman, Schneider), 2:03 of 2nd; Hull (PP)(Datsyuk, Schneider), 19:53 of 2nd.
November 23, 2003
An Unofficial Mathieu Schneider HomePage Exclusive!
Mathieu's official plus/minus rating so far this season is +8, which ranks him 16th in the league (6 behind leader Todd Bertuzzi), 7th among defenseman, and 1st on the Red Wings. But as I mentioned, the
+/- doesn't take into account many important factors (see October 17). Through the first 21 games of the season, Mathieu's real ratio of goals scored for and against while he is on the ice is +16. He has been on the ice for 31 goals scored, and 15 goals scored against. This is also good for best on the team. Also of note, he is second on the team in ice time (averaging 22:18 minutes per game; a good 5:35 less than leader Niklas Lidstrom).
November 12, 2003
Second star of the game honors go to Mathieu tonight. Why? Oh, just for scoring a short-handed goal and assisting on another and finishing with a team high +3... all after taking a puck to the face and getting 4 stiches in his cheek. Game summary: (SH)(Shanahan), 0:59 of 3rd; Datsyuk (Hull, Schneider), 19:23 of 3rd.
November 10, 2003
Along with Red Wings fans, Mathieu, too, is frustrated during this recent slump, as he expressed in today's Detroit News: "With the guys we have in this room, there should be no panic on the ice... It's very frustrating. We can't afford to throw away points like that." Mathieu, though, has been seen by many as one of the bright spots so far this year. Game summary: Datsyuk (PP)(Schneider, Hull), 1:32 of 2nd.
November 4, 2003
Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Yzerman, Schneider), 0:54 of 2nd; (holding), 14:20 of 2nd.
November 3, 2003
Read a bit about Mathieu's grueling off-season workouts in Shawn P. Roarke's piece on master trainer T.R. Goodman in Impact! (NHL.com's Online Magazine).
November 1, 2003
Game summary: (slashing), 6:41 of 3rd; (high-sticking), 4:49 of OT.
October 30, 2003
Game summary: Zetterberg (Schneider, Whitney), 4:28 of 1st; Yzerman (PP)(Lidstrom, Schneider), 3:54 of 3rd.
October 27, 2003
Mathieu received some positive attention in today's Detroit News notebook (titled "Schneider's game starts to sparkle"). Capping his compliments, Detroit coach Dave Lewis said "when you watch him night in and night out, you can appreciate how good he really is." Nice to know I'm not the only one!
October 25, 2003
Mathieu picked up his first goal of the season, the Red Wings only goal in a loss to the New York Rangers. Game summary: (PP)(Holmstrom, Lidstrom), 13:19 of 2nd; (interference), 19:10 of 2nd.
October 18, 2003
The Red Wings would have lead late in the game had Mathieu's 3rd period goal been allowed. But instead, it was waved off having been ruled kicked in. Mathieu disagreed: "I got cross-checked from behind. I didn't make any attempt to kick the puck." Game summary: Holmstrom (PP)(Shanahan, Schneider), 17:59 of 1st; McCarty (Maltby, Schneider), 8:05 of 2nd; (cross-checking), 1:32 of 1st; (playing with a broken stick), 10:03 of 1st.
October 17, 2003
An Unofficial Mathieu Schneider HomePage Exclusive!
I've never been a big fan of the +/- rating. In fact, for my final project in statistics class in high school, I examined the stat and found that the rating is not a really reliable indicator of a player's success. Back then, I concluded a player's +/- is only as good as his or her team (that is, a losing team gives up more goals than scored in general, so obviously each player will suffer). Now, I realize for players like Mathieu, who score most of their points and register so much time on the power-play, the +/- is that much more skewed, as points scored with a man advantage don't count as a plus. So, this year, I will continue on with a project I started last year. I will count how many times Mathieu is on the ice for a goal for and against, no matter the strength (the "Official Scoresheet" at http://nhl.com/onthefly/scoreboard/index.html provides that info). So far after three games, his +/- is at -1; but his real goals for/goals against percentage is +3 (being on the ice for 5 goals vs. 2 goals against). As this is an unofficial stat not recognized by the NHL (and due to the fact I scribble this info down on notes when I check the box scores), I will not post an ongoing tally. But every month or so, I'll note the tally to date.
October 16, 2003
After a long layoff, the Red Wings returned to action and Mathieu had a game-winning assist in the last few minutes of play. Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Lidstrom, Schneider), 14:22 of 1st; Whitney (Schneider, Datsyuk), 18:54 of 3rd; (hooking), 1:13 of 3rd.
October 11, 2003
Game summary: Holmstrom (PP)(Schneider, Lidstrom), 16:59 of 1st.
October 9, 2003
Tonight marks the start of the Red Wings regular season, as they play tonight at home versus Mathieu's former Los Angeles Kings. Again, the media has focused a lot on the depth of the Wing's defensive corps, and, again, Mathieu weighed in: "It's just going to be a lot of fun. I don't ever remember playing with a group this talented, that really has everything, from strength to speed and puck movement, meanness. We have all the ingredients." Here's to hoping for a great and successful season!
October 3, 2003
Mathieu had a lot to say in the news today. Echoing his statements at the begining of training camp, he reiterated the need to earn ice-time on the stacked Red Wings blueline, but concedes that is a great thing for the club: "It gives the coaching staff a luxury if someone is having an off night. You'll have to earn your minutes. I've never been on a team with the depth we have on defense. It's just incredible." So far, early parings show Mathieu, Mathieu Dandenault and Jason Woolley vying for time in the third defensive pairing.
And after last night's preseason lose to Boston (in which Mathieu took a tripping penalty at 10:56 of the first and a cross-checking penalty at 12:40 of the 3rd- the first leading to a Bruins powerplay goal), he offered his opinion on the Wings' shaky start: "I think the problem that we're having is that when we really need to simplify things we sometimes try to get too fancy and turn it over."
September 27, 2003
Another preseason game, and another point as Mathieu assisted with Ray Whitney on Pavol Datsyuk's power play goal at 16:19 of the 1st period.
September 24, 2003
Tonight's 9-0 preseason victory over Boston saw Mathieu register two assists (PP, Shanahan [Schneider, Lidstrom] at 2:07 of 1st; Maltby [Schneider, Draper] at 5:55 of 2nd) and a goal [(Bootland, Holmstrom] at 16:54 of 3rd).
September 20, 2003
After missing some time due to injury, Mathieu made his preseason appearance tonight against the Rangers. He had a penalty (elbowing at 9:38 of 2nd), and an assist (with Zetterberg) on Holmstrom's power play goal (at 6:24 of 3rd).
September 18, 2003
Mathieu did not particpate in yesterday's scrimmage due to a hip flexor.
September 16, 2003
The depth of Detroit's defensive line-up will keep Mathieu on his A game all year, because, as he said it today's Detroit News, "you'll have to earn your minutes." But it will be a small price to pay for the ultimate prize: "If you have to give up ice time, if you have to make a sacrifice to win a Stanley Cup, it's worth it."
September 10, 2003
After a very quiet summer, Mathieu and the rest of the Detroit Red Wings training camp tomorrow in Michigan.
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