7/01/2006

2005-2006 season notes


May 20, 2006

My overall take on Mathieu's play in the playoffs? He was actually one of the few bright spots. In fact, I thought the lot of the team was passionless. Mathieu at least looked like he had some pep and spirit. The rest of the team looked like they just wanted to go home. (But as an aside... since I'm writing this AFTER I saw my own young, zippy, and lively Sharks play the same passionless way against the Oilers, I'm beginning to think rather than the Wings not having any life, that maybe the Oilers sucked the life right out of them). His defense was suspect at times, on doubt; but there was not one solid man on defense the whole time. The team just never adjusted to the Oilers game. Mathieu's offense gave the Wings a chance, and that should not be overlooked. He lead the team in points, with 8 points in only six games, when it looked like no one else would (or could) step up.


Here are some stats pulled from NHL.com:







































































Personal statFinal rank among
all Red Wings
Final rank among
Red Wings Defenseman
Goals14th1st
Assists71st1st
Points81st1st
Blocked shots94th4th
#1: Kronwall and Lilja tied w/ 14
Hits131st1st
#2: Lilja w/11
Missed hots131st/td>
1st
#2: Lidstrom w/ 8
Give aways121st1st
#2: Chelios, Lidstrom, and Kronwall tied w/ 10
Take aways0n/a
#1: Datysuk and Lang tied w/ 7
n/a
#1: Chelios and Lidstrom tied w/ 5




May 4, 2006

With talk of Steve Yzerman possibly returing, Mathieu was most complimentary of the captain after the disappointing series: "He could be the toughest guy I ever played with. He was in definite pain the last few days. I, for one, never thought he was going to play. He goes out and hits the post and sets up our second goal. He just continues to amaze. The bigger the game, the bigger Stevie is."


May 3, 2006

Of the stunning first-round exit for Stanley Cup favored team, Mathieu had the following to say: "The only thing that was going to make this a successful season was winning the Stanley Cup. We didn't live up to our expectations."


And some blunt honesty, which is such a refreshing thing from professional sports where players tend to sugar coat everything as to not make waves: "I'm of the opinion that we didn't play well enough to win. We didn't play like the No.1 seed for this whole series. We put ourselves in this position, that's the unfortunate thing." He adds: "We went out and played a great first two periods, probably the best two periods of the whole series, and then we sat back on our heels." Why does this man not have at least an "A" on his chest!?


May 1, 2006


WOW! Talk about an upset. The Oilers have eliminated the Red Wings from playoffs in six games in the first round. Said Mathieu of the early lead but eventual lose: "We could easily have been up 4-0 or 5-0, but you can't sit on a lead in this league." He added: "The bottom line is we didn't live up to our expectations." Game summary: Lang (PP)(Yzerman, Schneider), 14:02 of 2nd; (high-sticking), 10:33 of 1st.



April 30, 2006

Leading up to the do-or-die game, Mathieu has been vocal: "At times we've played well and at times we haven't play like ourselves. We get in trouble when we try to play too fancy. That's why we've had more trouble at home." Also: "We know we have to create more offense because that's what's driven us all year. There's not much to figure out about what's wrong; we just have to win more battles and get more pucks and bodies in front of the net." He added more: "The power play was the difference. We were 0-for-6 the whole game. We need to produce; we need to score on the power play. It was a little bit frustrating, we didn’t have an awful lot going at the net – we didn’t seem to get on top of our second chances again."



April 29, 2006

Uh-oh, the Oilers have pushed the Wings to a play-or-go-home situation with their win last night. Mathieu was scoreless.


[May 20, 2006: I'm so sorry everyone. The Red Wings playoff run just so occured during the height of my horrible, terrible, no-good, super stressful semester. I wasn't able to keep up with updates like I wanted. Well, honestly, I thought they'd still be in the running by the time I finished. Now, almost a month later, I am free to work on the site a bit more, but the Wings are obviously out. I've gone back and at least added Mathieu's stats and some major quotes for the remainder of the playoffs to the site as to not completely leave those days of his career missing. The good news is that he plans to play a few more seasons, and I will have completed my all of my schooling by December. Unless that call of a PhD gets loader.... =) ]


April 27, 2006


The Wings tied the series with the Oilers tonight with the help of Mathieu's 3 assists. Game summary: Holmstrom (PP)(Schneider, Lang), 13:25 of 1st; Lidstrom (PP)(Schneider, Lang), 6:44 of 3rd; Zetterberg (PP)(Datsyuk, Schneider), 15:53 of 3rd.


April 25, 2006

Despite scoring the goal that took the Wings into overtime, Mathieu also made a defensive miscue on the play that lead to the Oilers winning goal in double overtime. Bummer. Game summary: Zetterberg (PP)(Schneider, Kronvall), 12:05 of 1st; Schneider (Yzerman), 12:10 of 3rd.


April 22, 2006

A visitor to this site sent me an email regarding Mathieu's tsn.ca player ranking for April 20. Sure enough, it was impressive. Using his own statistical analysis, TSN's Scott Cullen ranked Mathieu #6 overall in the NHL (rating score= 94.31); he was rated #1 in Defensemen (teammate Niklas Lidstrom came in second with a 92.23 rating). Again, I can only say WOW! And thank you!! to my fellow Mathieu fan for finding this!




April 21, 2006

The NHL had said they were going to tighten up enforcement of the rules, and they were right. Last night, Mathieu was called for two of the 16 total penalties in the game (one leading to a goal against). The Wings did manage to pull out a win over the Oilers in double overtime. Both the game tying and game winning goals were scored by Kirk Maltby and assisted by Mathieu. Game summary: (hooking), 11:16 of 1st; (interference), 5:51 of 3rd; Maltby (Franzen, Schneider), 13:43 of 3rd; Maltby (Schneider, Franzen), 2:39 of 5th.



April 20, 2006 (part 2)

Yesterday I highlighted some of Mathieu's personal bests from this recently completed regular season. Now, here are some of his stats as compared to other NHL defenseman as well as his Red Wings teammates. Of particular note, Mathieu finished the season first in goals by a defenseman. And remember, he missed nearly 11 games (counting the one game he left after 3 minutes due to injury). And I've never been a fan of the +/- stat (I'm still not), but he finished 5th overall in the NHL in +/- . Wow!





































































































































Personal stat
for 2005-06
Final rank among
NHL Defenseman
Final rank among
all Red Wings
Final rank among
Red Wings Defenseman
Goals211sttied 6th1st
Assists3813th6th2nd
Points597thtied 6th2nd
+/-+334th1st1st
PP Goals11tied 2ndtied 3rd1st
Game winning goals4tied 4thtied 4th1st
Shooting %11.2tied 3rd9th1st
Ice time per game24:30tied 16th2nd2nd
Shifts per game26.8tied 67th2nd2nd
Hits90tied 56th4th2nd
Blocked shots119tied 59th2nd2nd
Missed shots1242nd1st1st
Give aways64tied 27th4th2nd
Take aways4428thtied 6th3rd


side note: I know I said on February 26 that I wouldn't we able to do a stats summary like this again; but, I sooooo needed a break from my homework. This at least gave me an excuse to put down the textbooks. =)



April 20, 2006


An Unofficial Mathieu Schneider HomePage Exclusive!

If you remember last season, I started keeping my own statistic that I called "real +/-" (see Notes and Notes, 2003-2004 for my explaination). What can I say? I'm a stats nerd. Anyway, this is basically related to the fact that I'm not a fan of the +/- rating because it unfairly portrays players who get the majority of their points and/or ice-time on the power play (like Mathieu) because goals scored on the power play are not counted towards the +/-. After every game, I looked at NHL.com's scoring sheet and made little marks when Mathieu was on the ice for a goal for and against, regardless of situation. This year, Mathieu's percentage of points coming from the power play dropped from his usual career averages. And his "official +/-" increased to the highest of his career (+33). His "real +/-" was higher yet. He finished the season with a "real +/-" of +68 (being on the ice for 131 goals for, and 63 goals against). Last season, his "real +/-" was +39.



April 19, 2006 (part 2)

Add extensive dental work to Mathieu's to-do list this summer. After practice yesterday, he hurried off to a dentist appointment. He cracked four teeth during the Olympics when he was hit by a puck and one of the replacements just popped out when he was flossing.
Via mlive.com, he had this to say: "It's (repairing his teeth) a summer project. I can't walk around like this." Yicks. I've got a dentist appointment tomorrow, but I'm not so sure I want to floss now. =)


April 19, 2006


The 2005-2006 season certainly was a career year for Mathieu. He reached the 1,000 career NHL games milestone, and hit 400 career assists, 600 career points, and 1,000 career penalty minutes. In addition to those milestones, he also matched his career highs in power play goals with 11 (also reached in 1993-94 and 2002-03), game winning goals with 4 (also reached in 1993-94 and 2003-04), and points per game with .53 (also reached in 1995-96). And most notably, he set the following new career highs:


  • Goals: 21 (previous record: 20 in 1993-94)
  • Points: 59 (previous record: 54 in 1995-96)
  • Plus/Minus: +33 (previous record: +22 in 2003-04)
  • Points per game: .82 (previous record: .70 in 2000-01)
  • Goals per game: .29 (previous record: .29 in 1993-94)
  • Shooting percentage: 11.2% (previous record: 10.4% in 1993-94)

These new records are all the more impressive considering he missed 10 games (really more like 11 games, as he left a game in December after only 3 minutes).


April 18, 2006

The regular season has ended, and Mathieu returned to action for the last game, registering two assists late in the lose to Nashville. Game summary: Samuelsson (PP)(Schneider, Draper), 14:53 of 3rd; Williams (PP)(Schneider, Holmstrom), 17:50 of 3rd.


April 17, 2006

He played in the last game, but Mathieu was held out of tonight's game.


April 15, 2006

After missing seven games, Mathieu returned tonight. He was very active, being on the ice for all Red Wings goals for (and all of the Blues goals a well, though). He assisted on the game winning goal (in the final 10 seconds of play!), registered a +2 rating and logged 27:13 minutes of ice time (the most of any Red Wing). Game summary: Zetterberg (Shanahan, Schneider), 19:51 of 3rd.


April 13, 2006


Mathieu may not play tonight, but expects to play the last few games of the regular season. He says: "I'm training harder and everything is progressing. I'm shooting for Saturday. I don't want a three-week break between games going into the playoffs. Definitely I'll be able to play at least two games."


April 12, 2006

Mathieu has been skating in practice and expects to play soon: "I felt good out there today, just have to see how it feels tomorrow. Looking forward to going a little harder tomorrow in practice and just progressing each day. Right now, my body feels as good as it did the first day of training camp. To get that rest can sometimes be a blessing. I feel great."


April 6, 2006

A set back will keep Mathieu out this weekend and probably into next week.



April 2, 2006

Mathieu's lower body injury is still an issue, and he will not play until at least this weekend. Still only listed as day-to-day, the injury is not reported to be serious.


March 31, 2006

Mathieu missed tonight's game and is listed as day to day with a lower body injury.


March 30, 2006

Tonight was the game added to the schedule to make up for the game on November 21 that was postponed due to a player emergency. Mathieu had an assit and was a +3 in the 4-2 win. Game summary: Williams (Yzerman, Schneider), 15:54 of 3rd.



March 23, 2006


Game summary: Holmstrom (Schneider, Shanahan),1:47 of 2nd.


March 21, 2006

Game summary: (cross-checking), 13:14 of 1st.


March 19, 2006

Despite the win, Mathieu recorded his first "minus game" since January with a -2. Game summary: Lidstrom (PP)(Datsyuk, Schneider), 10:55 of 1st.



March 18, 2006

Game summary: Chelios (PP)(Zetterberg, Schneider), 14:53 of 2nd; (slashing), 1:00 of 1st.


March 15, 2006

Mathieu has set a new career high for goals scored in one season with his 21st goal tonight. And he set that new high in grand fashion: the goal was the game winner. It is his 4th game winning goal of the year. Game summary: Schneider (PP)(Lidstrom, Lang), 10:45 of 1st.


March 12, 2006


Another three point game, and a third star of the game nod. Game summary: Shanahan (Datsyuk, Schneider), 4:06 of 1st; Datsyuk (Draper, Schneider), 6:57 of 1st; Schneider (Zetterberg, Mowers), 12:54 of 3rd.


March 11, 2006

With the assist in tonight's game, Mathieu hit another milestone: career point number 600.
Game summary: Yzerman (PP)(Shanahan, Schneider), 19:52 of 2nd.


March 7, 2006

Mathieu's third period penalty lead to a goal against, but the game was pretty out of the Red Wings hands by that time anyway. Game summary: (holding stick), 15:02 of 2nd; (interference), 15:02 of 3rd. (The same exact time in two different periods? I know it looks weird, but that is what the box score said)


March 5, 2006

Mathieu has put up an amazing +17 in the last 8 games. Whoa!


March 3, 2006

With 3 points and a +4, Mathieu was awarded 3rd star of the game honors. Game summary: Zetterberg (Schneider, Chelios), 12:36 of 1st; Lidstrom (Shanahan, Schneider), 15:25 of 2nd; Shanahan (Lidstrom, Schneider), 15:25 of 2nd; (tripping), 6:06 of 1st.


February 28, 2006


In the first game back after the long break, and missing 5 of their regulars who have yet to return follwoing their gold medal celebration in Sweden, the whole Red Wings team looked pretty rusty. Mathieu took a penalty in the third, and the Sharks converted for one of their new team record 5 power play goals. Game summary: (holding), 10:17 of 3rd.


February 26, 2006

Two weeks of no NHL action gave me a chance to go through NHL.com and compile a huge list of stats, rating Mathieu compared to his NHL and Red Wing colleagues. (Plus, I was manning the Reference Desk at work for 3 very sloooow hours and had *a lot* of extra time to kill). I included the top rated player so it can be seen how far off the lead he is; when he was #1, I listed the second rated player to show how much of a lead he has. Of course, once play starts again, these stats will all change, and there is no way I'll ever have enough time (or enough boredom) to update. So, enjoy this one time stats extravaganza for now...









































































































































Personal statRank among NHL DefensemanRank among all Red WingsRank among Red Wings Defenseman
Goals191st
#2 is B.McCabe (Tor) [17]
tied 5th
#1 is H.Zetterberg [26]
1st
#2 is N.Lidstrom [11]
Assists2422nd
#1 is L.Visnovsky (LA) [42]
7th
#1 is P.Datsyuk [45]
2nd
#1 is N.Lidstom [42]
Points436th
#1 is L.Visnovsky (LA) [56]
5th
#1 is P.Datsyuk [66]
2nd
#1 is N.Lidstom [53]
+/-+1513th
#1 is A.Meszaros (Ott) [+34]
4th
#1 is M.Sameulsson [+22]
2nd
#1 is A.Lilja [+17]
PP Goals104th
#1 is D.Phaneuf (Cgy) [12]
3rd
#1 is Shanahan and Zetterberg [11]
1st
#2 N.Lidstrom [7]
Game winning Goals35th
#1 is B.McCabe (Tor) [6]
4th
#1 is H.Zetterberg [6]
tied 1st
#1 is N.Lidstrom [3]
Shooting %13.3%3rd
#1 is J.Pitkanen (Phi)
5th
#1 is T.Holmstrom [21.1%]
1st
#2 is N.Lidstrom [6.5%]
Ice time per game24:3116th
#1 is N.Lidstrom (Det) [28:42]
2nd
#1 is N.Lidstrom
2nd
#1 is N.Lidstrom
Shifts per game27.165th
#1 is R.Blake [33.3]
2nd
#1 is N.Lidstrom [28.8]
2nd
#1 is N.Lidstrom [28.8]
Hits7144th
#1 is Z.Chara (Ott) [178]
4th
#1 is K.Maltby [89]
2nd
#1 is A.Lilja [73]
Blocked shots9247th
#1 is K.Skrastins (Col) [159]
1st
#2 is A.Lilja [89]
1st
#2 is A.Lilja [89]
Missed shots991st
#2 is D.Phaneuf (Cgy) [97]
1st
#2 is N.Lidstrom [72]
1st
#2 is N.Lidstrom [72]
Give Aways4823rd
#1 is C.Pronger (Edm) [81]
3rd
#1 is C.Chelios [51]
2nd
#1 is C.Chelios [51]
Take Aways3719th
#1 is R.Blake [71]
3rd
#1 is H.Zetterberg [52]
2nd
#1 is N.Lidstrom [41]


February 24, 2006

I personally thought Mathieu was among the better players for Team USA during the Olympics. Yeah, he had some bonehead moments, but everyone does. It was nice to see that even New York Post writer Jay Greenberg shared that sentiment in his critical review of the team in his article "Red, White and Boo" published today: "This team, which had seven holdovers from Salt Lake City, was a transition team, realistically a dark horse bronze-medal candidate at best. It went 1-4-1 largely because of its veterans; only Mathieu Schneider and 44-year-old Chris Chelios played well."
You can see the rest of the article at the New York Post site, but beware it requires (free) registration: http://www.nypost.com/sports/62355.htm.



February 23, 2006

Said Mathieu of the final game of Team USA's Olympics: "We were slow to pucks, we got outplayed. We deserved better on other nights, but the biggest game was the biggest disappointment."


Here are Mathieu's final stats for the Olympics:





















































































GameGAPtsPIM+/-Shots
2/15: Latvia0000-25
2/16: Kazakhstan000001
2/18: Slovakia0001202
2/19: Sweden0002+10
2/21: Russia011002
2/22 (Quarterfinals): Finland1122+13
TOTAL12316Even13



He finished tied for 5th on the team is scoring, and lead the team in penalty minutes thanks to a ten-minute misconduct (he only took three seperate penalties). His final shooting percentage was 7.7%.


February 22, 2006

Well, Team USA wasn't expected to make much of a splash in Torino, and they didn't. They were eliminated from competition today with a lose to undefeated Finland in quarterfinal play. Mathieu had a strong presence in the game today: 1 assist with Doug Weight on Mike Knuble's goal at 13:14 of the 1st; 1 goal, assisted by Brian Rafalski and Craig Conroy at 1:29 of the second (on the power play); and an untimely penalty, cross-checking at 16:39 of the second, that lead to a goal against (the technical game winner). He finished the game with 3 shots on goal, and a +1 plus/minus rating.


February 21, 2006

With the Latvian team losing today, Team USA automatically advances to the next round, despite a wild 5-4 lose to Russia. Mathieu recorded his first point of these Olympics when he assisted with Brian Rolston on Scott Gomez's goal at 5:00 of the 3rd. He was rated an even plus/minus and recorded 2 shots on goal.


So, as the fourth seed in Group B with a 1-3-1 record, the USA meets undefeated Finland in the quarterfinals. Finland, first seed in Group A, has only allowed 2 goals in five games. Winner advances to the semi-finals and the loser is eliminated from competition. The game will be shown live tomorrow on the USA network in the US, at 11:30 AM Eastern time.


February 20, 2006


Defense and goaltending was supposed to be the weak spot for Team USA in these Olympics, but goal scoring has been the problem so far. So says Mathieu:
"We've got to get our power play clicking. We knew coming in that it would be a huge part of things for us. We've got some of the greatest goal scorers that ever played the game in our dressing room. We've got to get our second chances and rebounds and play a simple game."


February 19, 2006

Team USA dropped another close game by losing to Sweden today, 2-1. Mathieu took another penalty, interference at 8:52 of the 1st. His Red Wings teammate and Team Sweden forward Tomas Holmstrom was called for diving on the same play to negate a Swedish powerplay. Mathieu was also a +1 but had no shots. The difference in the game, so says Mathieu, was the lack of power play scoring: "That (not scoring on several power plays) cost us the game tonight. Five on three, you have to produce. Two five on threes and you definitely have to produce."


February 18, 2006

In today's 2-1 lose to Slovakia, Mathieu took a checking from behind penalty (and a 10 minute misconduct) at 13:43 of the 2nd period. Slovakia was able to socre on the power play. Mathieu later made an amazing sliding save to keep the puck out of the empty USA goal. Even my co-workers mentioned they saw the replays of the "save" and recognized the name. He also had two shots, but no point and was a even plus/minus.




February 16, 2006

Team USA pulled out a 4-1 win today over Kazakhstan. Mathieu had one shot on goal.



February 15, 2006

The lack of practice together as a team, and fatigue from the extended travel, showed in Team USA's openning game in the Olympics. A late goal helped salvage a 3-3 tie against Latvia, but Mathieu was a -2. Although he had 5 shots on goal, Mathieu was most noted for some defensive mistakes and "missed assignments" (as the Detroit Free Press' Helene St. James called them). The most talked about play was the one that lead to a goal against when he was knocked out of place by Latvia's Arvids Rekis exiting the penalty box and give the puck away to fellow NHLer Sandis Ozolinsh.


February 14, 2006

Presumably arrived safely in Italy, Mathieu and the rest of Team USA will suit up for their first game tomorrow. If you haven't seen it elsewhere, here is the schedule:


  • February 15: Preliminary Round, Group B, Game 6- Latvia vs. USA
  • February 16: Preliminary Round, Group B, Game 12- USA vs. Kazakhstan
  • February 18: Preliminary Round, Group B, Game 18- Slovakia vs. USA
  • February 19: Preliminary Round, Group B, Game 22- USA vs. Sweden

  • February 21: Preliminary Round, Group B, Game 30- USA vs. Russia

If Team USA is among the top 8 finishers, they will advance to the Quarterfinals on February 22; if they advance past there, they will meet in the Semifinals on February 24. After that, the Bronze Medal game will be February 25 and the Gold Medal game on February 26.


February 13, 2006

Mathieu plans to take the whole family to Italy for the Olympics. But they'll have to wait a little longer as the bad winter weather has stranded travellers everywhere, and kept players for both Team USA and Canada stuck in North America. All players are expected to arrive in Turino just a day before the first day of matches.


February 12, 2006

Before tonight's game, the Red Wing players representing their countries in the upcoming Olympics were presented with their team colors by kids. Not just any kids, but their own. Little Matty Schneider, just five years old, joined in the ceremony. Afterwards, Mathieu went on to record 1 goal, 1 assist, a team best +4 rating (and first star of the game honors). Game summary: Schneider (unassisted), 13:53 of 1st; Williams (Lebda, Schneider), 10:43 of 2nd; (hooking), 10:20 of 3rd.



February 9, 2006

Making up for a penalty that led to a goal against, Mathieu scored the game winner in tonight's game. Game summary: Schneider (Yzerman, Lang), 18:29 of 3rd; (high sticking), 13:51 of 1st; (interference, 17:33 of 2nd.


February 8, 2006

Game summary: Schneider (Zetterberg, Samuelsson), 8:36 of 2nd.


February 6, 2006

Mathieu was excused from practices to be in New York for a Team USA, pre-Olympics event.



February 4, 2006

Game summary: Lang (Williams, Schneider), 18:29 of 3rd.


February 2, 2006

A nice article about Mathieu was published in the Jewish Exponent, out of Philadelphia, PA. Not too much new stuff, except the congregation the family belongs to and news that there will be a new member in the Schneider clan.

side note: I'll give credit to an eagle eyed poster over at Let's Go Wings for pointing out this link


February 1, 2006

Game summary: (cross-checking), 17:59 of 2nd; (hooking), 12:17 of 3rd.


January 26, 2006

Game summary: Lidstrom (PP)(Lang, Schneider), 11:03 of 2nd; (boarding), 6:31 of 3rd.


January 25, 2006

With the goal last night, Mathieu took over the league lead in goals by a defenseman. He also becomes the first defenseman to score goals in four straight games since then-teammate Jaroslav Modry of the Kings did the same in the 2002-2003 season.



And Helene St.James of the Detroit Free Press had a bit about the upcoming Super Bowl to be held in Detroit. Mathieu says he will be watching the game from Cheli's Chili, teammate Chris Chelios' local restaurant. He was not really interested in going to the game: "You know, I don't like crowds. I have problems dealing with big crowds like that, and the chaos. If it was easy to get in and out that would be another thing, but I just like to relax. But one day I would like to go to a Super Bowl, when I can enjoy it, not in the middle of the season." He adds: "If I had to pick a sport that I like to watch other than hockey, it would definitely be football. But I don't consider myself a real sports fan." What would have inspired him to go to the game? "If my buddy Adam Duritz from the Counting Crows was playing, I'd have to go to support him."
side note: I need to give credit to Homer over at Red Wings International for keeping the best list of news stories. I've been busy with school and work, so when I don't have time to search out stuff on my own, I know I can rely on Homer to fill me in.


January 24, 2006

Game summary: Schneider (PP)(Zetterberg, Lidstrom), 11:32 of 1st; (interference), 4:51 of 1st; (cross-checking), 16:14 of 3rd; (holding), 10:05 of 3rd.



January 23, 2006

As Mathieu says, tonight's game "will be a little weird." This is the make-up game for the one postponed after Jiri Fischer's medical emergency. The game will be a full 60 minutes, but the goal the Predators scored before the game was called will be added to the score sheet. Thus, the game will start 1-0 in favor if Nashville. Mathieu says it will "give us a little more incentive to get off to a great start." Game summary: Schneider (PP)(Lidstrom, Shanahan), 5:15 of 2nd; (roughing), 14:56 of 1st.


January 21, 2006

Game summary: Schneider (PP)(Lidstrom, Yzerman), 18:51 of 1st; Lang (PP)(Datsyuk, Schneider), 17:02 of 2nd.


January 20, 2006

Mathieu is almost over his flu. "I kind of slept it off. I spent about 18 straight hours in bed."



January 18, 2006

After missing practice and almost not suiting up tonight due to the flu, Mathieu logged 24 minutes and scored a goal . Game summary: Schneider (Samuelsson), 18:15 of 3rd.


January 14, 2006

Game summary: (cross-checking), 11:09 of 2nd.


January 12, 2006

Game summary: (holding), 15:32 of 2nd.



January 8, 2006

Game summary: Zetterberg (Schneider, Lidstrom), 3:13 of 1st; Schneider (PP)(Datsyuk), :25 of 2nd.


January 6, 2006

Game summary: (cross-checking), 10:29 of 3rd.


January 4, 2006

More fun stuff from Helene St. James and the Detroit Free Press today. When asked if he was a good student, Mathieu responded: "I was a good student ... a solid 'B, 'B+.'" His favorite subject? "History. In math I was a year ahead in high school. English I was always sort of average." And his best grade was "an 'A' in history."


January 3, 2006

Reading the Detroit News today, I learned that Mathieu's hat trick against the Sharks was the first three goal game by a Wings' defenseman since Reed Larson scored three February 27, 1985. Wow!


December 31, 2005

Game summary: Schneider (Franzen, Lilja), 7:57 of 2nd.



December 29, 2005

Mathieu's high school team, Mount St. Charles Academy, was the focus of a recently released book. While he hasn't read it yet, his dad has, and reports there is a chapter about Mathieu. Sam Schneider was not happy his portrayal, though. As the younger Schneider reports, "He thinks he was portrayed as an overbearing father. I thought that was kind of funny." Mathieu defends his papa by adding: "He was a great father. He's always been a goal-oriented person, and at a young age, he asked me what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a hockey player, so he pointed me in the right direction. He got me to that school. He got me to the coaches I needed to be with."


In the Detroit Free Press,, Mathieu talked a little bit more about his famous and successful high school program: "Everyone that comes through that hockey program comes out with a tremendous work ethic. No matter how talented you are going into that school, Bill Belisle ... instills that work ethic. Nothing's for free. I look at the guys that I played with that didn't go on to have hockey careers -- a couple played Division I -- they're all successful in life. I've stayed close with a few and they've been good friends throughout my life."


The book, entitled Pride on the Mount, is available from Amazon.com. I'll wait until next year when I can borrow it through Interlibrary Loan. =)



December 28, 2005

Who will be the Team USA captain for the Olympics? Mathieu has already put in an early vote for Wings teammate Chris Chelios. He also gave words of support for Mike Modano: "He's been a veteran of a lot of USA teams and has been the captain of his team for a long, long time. There's a pretty good chance -- I would imagine he'll be captain. Let's face it, he's probably the best American player, I would say, that ever played the game at the forward position. He's definitely been probably the best American player over the last decade, I would think. He's done it all. Just a super guy, great player and good leader, obviously."


December 27, 2005


Game summary: Maltby (Schneider), 19:15 of 3rd.



December 26, 2005

Another plug for the "new NHL," Mathieu credits the Wing's last minute victory over Chicago as something that is now possible with the new rules: "I think the new rules give you a chance right to the last minute, without a doubt. A few years ago there might have been a lot of holding, clutching and grabbing toward the end, but I think the way the game is being played now, right till the buzzer goes, either team can win."


December 20, 2005

The charley horse/leg cramp suffered in the last game is still bothering Mathieu, thus he is being kept out of the game tonight. He is expected to be back when the Red Wings play in Chicago on Friday.


December 19, 2005

CONGRATULATIONS MATHIEU! He has been named to the team representing the US in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turino, Italia (or, Turin, Italy for us English-speakers).


December 18, 2005


Final rosters for the 2006 Olympic teams are set to be announced tomorrow. Mathieu's name was added to the pot being considered, but it is anyone's guess whether he'll be chosen. Teammate Chris Chelios thinks its "guaranteed" he'll get the call: "He's playing great, he's got the hot hand, they're going to need guys like that for the power play." Mathieu, as always, just defers to noncommittal comments: "It would be a lot of fun, obviously, a great honor."


December 17, 2005

After only 3:50 played (4 shifts), Mathieu left the game with a charley horse. He is listed as day-to-day.


December 16, 2005

Off the ice but still hockey related, Mathieu is the official player representative from the Detroit Red Wings in the NHLPA. He expressed his (and the team's) concerns over the hiring of Ted Saskin as Bob Goodenow's replacement as the NHLPA's executive director. Here are his comments on the whole flak, as reported by The Detroit News: "It's important to get it resolved sooner than later, but I want it to be resolved properly. The whole problem has been because the process has been rushed and most of the players feel the process has been rushed." He added: "No one has been able to sit down and discuss our options, and the majority of the players feel it's been kind of shoved down our throats and passed through by the (executive committee) and it's just not the proper way to do things."


December 15, 2005

Another unforetunate penalty. Mathieu's penalty in overtime lead to the game winning score by Florida. Mathieu and the team felt the penalty was questionable: "You don't want to know what I thought of the call, it might cost me some money. I didn't feel like I stuck my knee out. I thought I hit him with my hip. And on top of that, he's trying to jump around me. He's off-balance." He added: "We played a solid game. We deserved better than one point." Game summary: (tripping), 1:23 of OT.



December 14, 2005

Last night's game was the start of the "Dad's Road Trip." Players have been invited to bring their fathers, mentors, or other significant person in their life along on the three-game trip to the Southeast. Sam Schneider is there.


December 13, 2005

In a wild lose to Atlanta, Mathieu had a double-minor penalty for high-sticking; sadly, the Thrasers converted on the power-play. Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Lidstrom, Schneider), 0:24 of 3rd; Schneider (PP)(Shanahan, Holmstrom), 8:01 of 3rd; (high-sticking), 3:47 of 2nd.


December 12, 2005

Game summary: (cross-checking), 15:10 of 2nd.



December 9, 2005

Game summary: Lidstrom (PP)(Datsyuk, Schneider), 17:07 of 3rd; (interference), 18:59 of 1st.


December 7, 2005

About his 400th career assist, Mathieu was rather modest: "I'm not even sure 400 assists is a milestone. I should have 400 assists after 17 years, don't you think?"


December 6, 2005

With his assist tonight, Mathieu registered career assist number 400. Congrats! Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Samuelsson, Schneider), 11:57 or 2nd; (hooking), 4:29 of 2nd.



December 4, 2005

Game summary: Schneider (Williams), 4:21 of 1st.


November 29, 2005

As of this morning, Mathieu is third in Defenseman scoring (10 pts behind 1st place, 2 pts behind 2nd); he's also tied for third in goals (2 behind 1st place, 1 behind 2nd).


November 28, 2005

Mathieu was in the running for Player of the Week honors this week, and continues his hot streak with another goal tonight. Game summary: Schneider (PP)(Lidstrom, Yzerman), 9:37 of 2nd; (hooking), 11:21 of 1st.



November 26, 2005

FIRST CAREER HAT TRICK! Fantastic! In a wild 7-6 victory in San Jose, Mathieu had his first 3 goal game, scoring the first two of his three on the Sharks' Evegeni Nabakov just 38 seconds apart. He also added an assist and was voted the games second star. Of the game, Mathieu said: "That was nuts. That's the only way to describe it. I haven't seen one like that in years and years. Talk about the new NHL, that was it tonight."

Game summary: Schneider (PP)(Lidstrom, Datsyuk), 7:58 of 2nd; Schneider (Lang), 8:36 of 2nd; Samuelsson (Schneider, Lang), 11:10 of 2nd; Schneider (PP)(Lidstrom, Lang), 6:37 of 3rd.



side note: I almost didn't go to this game. When we finally got around to getting tickets, my friend and I could only get single seats. I came close to saying, "nah, we'll catch the next game." But, instead, we decided to go eventhough we'd be sitting 4 rows apart. Obviously, I'm elated at our decision to go ahead and go. I was actually there to witness Mathieu's first hat trick, a milestone I pointed on his 1,000th career game as one yet to be realized. I'm so proud I could burst.



November 24, 2005 Happy (American) Thanksgiving!


Well, The Red Wings had to leave town right after the Colorado game, so they aren't able to spend Thanksgiving with their families. The Detroit Free Press had a big piece by Helene St. James on how the guys usually do spend the day. Mathieu is the cook in his family: "I actually do cook the turkey every year. My wife's busy baby-sitting all the kids. It's never a sit-down dinner, though -- it's just kind of chaos once the turkey gets on the table." Do all of the turkeys he cooks turn out great? Well... "It's kind of hit-and-miss, to tell you the truth. I've had a couple good ones and a couple real bad ones, just very dry. It's an art, obviously. I think if I had some more time, I could really, really improve my cooking skills." Overall, though, "it's fun, I enjoy it and everything that goes along with it, the whole day."


November 23, 2005

What a way to honor teammate Jiri Fischer's release from the hospital: the Red Wings break their losing streak with a 7-3 win over Colorado. Game summary: Samuelsson (Lang, Schneider), 16:39 of 3rd; (hooking), 15:24 of 1st.


November 21, 2005

I can't say anything about tonight's game cancellation without first sending my best wishes to Jiri Fischer and family. Also, I want to send best thoughts to the players, officials, and fans who were witness to their friend, teammate and fellow human being fighting for his life. The good news is, despite the terrifying scene on the bench, it sounds from reports that Mr. Fischer is doing well. The Detroit Red Wings website has updated information on Mr. Fischer's condition as well as where you can send your well wishes.


That said, it is certainly the first time I have ever seen a game postponed midway through a period. It has yet to be rescheduled. At the time the game was halted, the score was 1-0 Nashville with Mathieu recording the only penalty. All game stats have been removed from NHL.com, so they're either wiping the game out completely or just tacking on whatever stats occurred November 21 onto the game when it is resumed.


November 20, 2005

Steve Yzerman is not such a fan of the new NHL. He is upset at the amount of penalties called, and at the inconsistecy of those calls. He invoked Mathieu is his recent comments: "I'll just use Mathieu Schneider's penalty (in the Oilers' game) as an example. He steps up and takes his guy out, and his stick gets caught and the crowd cheers so the referee puts his hand up. There has to be some discretion. The referees have to use some judgment on what is a penalty and what is not." Pretty cool to have Steve Yzerman stand up for you.


November 19, 2005

Game summary: (elbowing) 9:18 of 2nd); Shanahan (Zetterberg, Schneider), 19:08 of 3rd.


November 18, 2005

Of the nasty road trip, Mathieu says "It's frustrating, because we know how good we can play, and when we go out and play like that, it's really disappointing. You could sense the frustration on the bench -- guys yelling, upset at themselves, upset at one another. That's not our team, that's not how we're going to have success and win."



And for some hockey talk: "We need to play inside the slot area and in between the (faceoff) dots. We're playing too much on the perimeter, and you're not going to score goals that way, especially against these last two teams -- they got big, strong defensemen. We need to get penetration through the middle in order to score goals."


November 17, 2005

This was certainly a road trip to forget. Of a possible 6 points, the Wings come away with only 1, earned tonight in a 6-5 overtime lose. Ouch. Game summary: Datsyuk (Zetterberg, Schneider)(PP), 3:37 of 2nd; Yzerman (Maltby, Schneider), 17:42 of 3rd; (holding), 9:25 of 2nd.


November 16, 2005

Game summary: (hooking), :45 of 2nd.


November 10, 2005


As the Red Wings prepare for their first Canadian road trip, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press asked three Red Wings, "Which city do you look forward to most." All three-- Manny Legace, Kris Draper and Mathieu-- answered Vancouver. Mathieu expanded: "It's a great team and a great rivalry that's developed over the last few years here. It's a beautiful city, great place to spend some time. Great sushi, as well." And for a little "word association," Mathieu and teammates again agreed that Edmonton is "cold." side note: Vancouver is one of my most favorite places. If I ever leave my native San Francisco Bay Area, Vancouver, BC would be the only place I'd want to go.




November 9, 2005

Game summary: Yzerman (Schneider, Cleary), 8:18 of 1st; Holmstrom (Fischer, Schneider), :16 of 3rd


November 3, 2005


Mathieu returned in tonight's tie against the Oilers. He wasn't much a factor, and had no points. He was on the ice for 2 of Edmonton's 4 goals. Ouch. On a nice note, before the game Mathieu and family were invited to center ice where he was honored by Red Wings' owner Mike Ilitch for his 1,000th career game.


November 1, 2005

A sore groin sidelined Mathieu for tonight's game. Neither he nor coach Mike Babcock seem too concern, and he is listed as day to day.


October 30, 2005

Mathieu has been added to the list of potential players for the the US Olympic team in the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy this January. he's excited about the possibility: "I enjoyed my time in Japan other than not winning, so it's just, anytime you get a chance to play in an event like that, it's a lot of fun," he said. But he is also excited that fellow Wing Chris Chelios was included as well: "No one has meant more to USA Hockey through the last decade than Chris Chelios. He's just a great leader, obviously a guy everyone has kind of looked up to on the U.S. roster. He's a guy who, in my eyes, should be there out of respect."


October 29, 2005

Game summary: (hooking), 12:34 of 1st; (holding), 14:16 of 3rd.



October 28, 2005

Offensive stat factoids of the day: Mathieu is tied for second in goals by defenseman (1 behind leader and former Canadiens teammate Patrice Brisebois); he is 3rd in defensive scoring (1 point out of second and 4 points behind the leader); and he's 2nd in defensive power play scoring. Overall scoring in the league sees Mathieu tied for 15th. Not bad at all!



October 27, 2005

On the night Detroit's Manny Legace sets an NHL record for most wins by a goaltender in October, Mathieu leaves a mark, too: Two goals, including the game winner. Second game winner of the year, in fact. Game summary: Schneider (PP)(Lang, Samuelsson), 13:12 of 1st; Schneider (PP)(Datsyuk, Lidstrom), 11:58 of 3rd.



October 24, 2005

Mathieu is tied for 3rd in league-wide defensive scoring (1 point behind 2nd place, 5 points behind 1st). Defensive scoring leader Bryan McCabe is also tied for first in overall scoring, so Mathieu's numbers are no small feat (overall, he is tied for 20th league-wide). He was dismissive of his own role in the win: "It was persistence. If you look at our team, we're always working hard. Halfway through the game, we began working smart."Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Schneider, Legace), 16:33 of 2nd; Schneider (PP)(Lidstrom, Datsyuk), 17:47 of 2nd; (cross-checking), 5:31 of 2nd.




October 22, 2005

Game summary: Datsyuk (Zetterberg, Schneider), 14:09 of 3rd.


October 21, 2005 (NHL Career Game #1,000)

In his first NHL, Mathieu ws absent from the boxscore and his team tied. In this, his 1,000th NHL game, he registered an assist (on the game winner), took a penalty (which, sadly, lead to a goal against) and his team won. Game summary: Samuelsson (PP)(Wooley, Schneider), 4:55 of 3rd; (holding), 6:23 of 3rd.



October 18, 2005

Reporter Joanne Gerstner caught Mathieu for this week's "Over the Boards" feature. See Mathieu diss 80's TV show "Charles in Charge," admit to actually have worn Duran Duran-style silk suits, and confess to being rather lame at video games in today's Detroit News.



October 17, 2005

Bummer. I never get to see Mathieu's games anymore since I don't have cable. But yesterday, Mathieu plays my Sharks and I'm at my parents house (with cable), but I still miss most of the game. I was so doped up after having a wisdom tooth removed, I only caught the last 10 minutes. At least I got to see him assist on the game winner (sadly, against my team, though). Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Woolley, Schneider), 15:10 of 1st; (holding), 2:19 of 1st; Fischer (Schneider, Zetterberg), 4:09 of OT.



October 13, 2005


Game summary: (interference), 17:00 of 3rd.


October 10, 2005

Of tonight's loss, Mathieu says that "We just didn't seem to be able to get anything settled. We seemed to be a couple of inches off (on passes) all night." Game summary: Samuelsson (Schneider), 3:50 of 1st; (holding), 18:25 of 2nd; (cross-checking), 14:48 of 3rd.


October 9, 2005

Game summary: Zetterberg (PP)(Shanahan, Schneider), 12:32 of 2nd.



October 6, 2005

Two games, two wins, and two points for Mathieu. Mathieu and the Wings are off to a good start. Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Williams, Schneider), 18:17 of 2nd.


October 5, 2005

Quite sucessful in his first regular season game in over a year, Mathieu scored a goal (the eventual game winner), and was the 2nd star of the game. Game summary: Schneider (Datsyuk, Shanahan), 7:04 of 1st.


October 4, 2005


With the season starting tomorrow, much has been made of the Red Wings' tough new coach, Mike Babcock. Says Mathieu (via the Detroit News): "He's got everyone's attention. He gets you wide awake at the beginning of each practice and you've got to be sharp, got to be on your toes. He wants you to listen, he wants you to start each drill properly and make sure you know what you're doing. If you don't, get out of the way. Same thing with our meetings. It's, 'Stop what you're doing and pay attention.' He only has to say it a few times and everyone catches on." In the past, Mathieu hasn't seemed to respond well to pushy, obnoxious coaches, so hopefully Babcock hasn't gone (or doesn't go) too far.


September 30, 2005

Despite the lose to the Maple Leafs, Mathieu was voted 2nd star of the game. Preseason Game summary: Shanahan (PP)(Lang, Schneider), 6:05 of 2nd; Schneider (PP)(Lidstrom, Lang), 12:11 of 2nd.


September 28, 2005

In the match that ended 9-0, the flu stricken Columbus Blue Jackets proved no match for the fully stacked Red Wings roster. Preseason Game summary: Cleary (PP)(Lebda, Schneider), 1:10 of 2nd; Schneider (Zetterberg, Cleary), 17:56 of 2nd; (charging) at 10:34 of 2nd.


September 25, 2005

Preseason Game summary: (charging) at 11:22 of 2nd.


September 23, 2005

The game winning goal in Friday's preseason game was had by Mathieu, and he was voted the game's third star. Preseason Game summary: Schneider (Holmstrom, Cleary) at 15:48 of 3rd.


September 21, 2005


Mathieu played his first preseason game Wednesday night, and I hear it was a pretty impressive debut. He played a tick over 30 minutes, had 5 shots on goal, and finished a +2 (highest on the team), not to mention he had an assist on the game winner in overtime. Preseason Game summary: Lidstrom (Lang, Schneider)(PP), 3:03 of OT.


September 18, 2005

Mathieu and a few other veterans were given the day off Saturday in preparation for the preseason games to begin on Monday. No word as to whether Mathieu will play in Monday's game in Detroit vs. the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning. side note: I got to go to a Sharks preseason game tonight (thanks again for the tickets Bina!), and, man, I have really missed hockey. I'm tired and hoarse, and I couldn't be happier. Welcome back guys!


September 13, 2005

Training camp opened today in Traverse City, and the only full scrimmage was won by Mathieu's "Team B."



September 12, 2005

The Red Wings meet for physicals today, and training camp officials starts for the team Tuesday. Mathieu is ready for the season, while citing the lockout as a useful break: "For me, I really felt it gave my body a nice rest. I feel great, and I'm extremely excited to start the year."


September 8, 2005

Helene St. James' September 8, 2005 Detroit Free Press article about the Red Wings' return after the long layoff had some pretty hilarious nuggets from Mathieu. Most notable was his admitted obsession with labeling:


...While Lidstrom lit up a Christmas tree, Schneider labeled. That, it turns out, was his self-realization. "I'm OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), without a doubt," he said, laughing. "I think it was hidden for a while, but just being around the house, looking for things to do all the time, brought it out." Schneider organized everything in his garage, and when that had been done three or four times, moved inside. That was when his wife intervened. "I was labeling stuff in the kitchen," he said. "My wife had to steal the labeler away from me." side note: aww, come on Shannon. Label makers are good things! Then again, I am a compulsive organizer myself. =)


On the topic of the game, Mathieu is happy with the new rules regarding smaller goalie equipment. As he states, "Everything just got bigger and bigger throughout the '90s, it just got ridiculous. They're cheater pads, is what they are, and they cut down on an awful lot of goals, without a doubt. So I think that is definitely going to have a big impact." Also getting thumbs up from Mathieu was the new rule to have shoot-outs break ties. Shoot-outs make for exciting TV, thus "That's what you're going to see when you turn on ESPN highlights every night." There are more quotes in the article (including one invoking the name of, gasp!, "Patty Roy"). I'll try to add them to the quotes section of this page, too.


September 7, 2005

Even without young star Pavel Datsyuk, the Wings still feel they have a strong team. As Mathieu says: "There's still a lot of depth on this team. Many people tend to forget we have Robert Lang... Kris Draper had a big year for us and increased his confidence offensively. People like Nicklas Lidstrom, the depth we have on defense, the goaltending. We still have a very formidable team." (as quoted by the Detroit News, September 7, 2005)


August 22, 2005

The Port Huron Times (Michigan) reported that Aaron Brand of the Port Huron Beacons (UHL) was working on having Mathieu and a few other NHL players join him on the Israeli national team at the 12th Spartak Cup in Russia (beginning today). But because the lockout has ended and training camps begin soon, NHL players will not participate in the games. This will be Israel's first team present at the games, and Mathieu, like Brand, is eligible to play for the Israeli team because he is Jewish. This would not have been the first time that a member of the Schneider family has played in a tournament representing their heritgae. Mathieu's brother, Jean-Alain, played defense for Team Canada's gold medal winning hockey team in the 1997 Maccabiah Games (interestingly, Aaron Brand was a teammate).


August 9, 2005

In a Detroit News article today, Mathieu gave some insight into how much longer he plans/hopes to continue playing: "After the Calgary series, I was thinking I'd like to play two or three more years, and that's it. But after the year off, I'm thinking now of playing four or five years, or however long I can go." He continued: "I feel great, physically and mentally. A lot of the older guys are probably feeling the same way. Nobody wanted to miss the whole season, but you do feel energized, and everyone is ready to get back to playing hockey."


August 8, 2005

Laughable stuff from some guy named Chuck Gormley, from the Cherry Hill Courier Post (just outside Philadelphia). When reviewing the NHL summer transactions so far, he mentions of the Red Wings, "They picked up Mathiew [sic] Schneider and re-signed Steve Yzerman and Chris Chelios - guys as old as an Edsel. Will they be just as unreliable?" Ok, I love hyperbole, but come on! A) Mathieu's name was spelled wrong, B) The Wings didn't "pick-up" Mathieu, they re-signed him, just like Yzerman and Chelios, and C) Thirty-six may be "mature," in hockey terms, but not ancient. With his off-season training regime, he may actually be more fit than some of the younger guys.



August 5, 2005

Here are some of Mathieu's comments about returning to the Wings (As quoted in the Detroit Free Press): "It couldn't have worked out any better. I'm thrilled to be back." And from the Detroit News: "I really didn't think it was going to be possible when I knew we'd have the salary cap. Once the buyouts happened I thought it was possible. I never had any ill feelings that Detroit wasn't stepping up. This was really my first choice, if Detroit came anywhere near where I wanted to be. It's nice to get back to somewhere I know. It seems like the perfect marriage."


Added Red Wings GM Ken Holland: "I feel good about our defense. With the new rules we believe Mathieu, because of his passing ability, should be extremely effective." (side note: Dang it, I just can help myself from making an editorial comment. But, man, Holland is being bailed out BIG TIME by the buyout option in the new CBA. That little piece basically gave him "Do over" powers. If buyouts weren't an option, the team would have been completely sunk by his past poor decisions. As it is, the Wings are, pardon the pun, skating on VERY thin ice.)



August 3, 2005


Mathieu has resigned with the Red Wings. Canada's sportsnet.ca is reporting a two year deal, with no terms disclosed. But with the amount going to other free agent defenseman (i.e. Mike Rathje, Brian Leetch, Adrian Aucoin, etc), $3-4 million per season amount seems like a decent prediction.

UPDATE: tsn.ca is reporting the two year deal is for $6.6 million. (Wow, my guess wasn't too far off!)


August 1, 2005

Free agency officially begins Monday at noon Eastern time. This is the largest free agent pool in NHL history, with Mathieu being one of many "norris-caliber" defensemen available.


July 27, 2005


Interesting quote from Detroit GM Ken Holland on the AP Wire today: "We have good feelings about the way Mathieu played for us. I know Mathieu liked it here and we were really very happy with the way he plays. If something can be worked out, certainly he's a serious consideration."


July 22, 2005

After 309 days, the NHL lockout has officially ended today with the ratification of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. NHL hockey is officially back on. The first regular season game in over 1 year will happen on October 5.



July 18, 2005

Most media outlets paint Mathieu's days in Detroit as officially over, with good reason. The Wings are in a pickle with the cap and their outstanding salaries. They may not even be able to meet the cap as is, even with the salary rollback.


However, the Fort Worth Star Telegram mentioned yesterday that the Dallas Stars will be interested in pursuing a free-agent Defenseman. Mathieu was a name mentioned. That team has wanted him forever!



July 15, 2005


On Thursday, the Detroit News first reported that of the still unrestricted free agents on the Red Wings� blueline, Mathieu "is likely to be too expensive to return." But looking back a few weeks, the Dallas Morning News (republished in the San Jose Mercury News), invoking the newer, looser rules of contract buyouts allowed by the soon-to-be-ratified CBA, questioned "Would the Red Wings buy out Hatcher for the chance to keep Mathieu Schneider?" Interesting question. Everything is up in the air with most players, including Mathieu, not logging any professional ice time in over a year. But in the last season played, Mathieu did outplay the other defenseman, including the incredibly high priced Hatcher.


July 14, 2005

For infomartion on the status of NHL play, I recommend following the deal with tsn.ca/nhl.



July 13, 2005

The NHL and NHLPA have announced they have reached a deal in the negotiations for the CBA. Pending official approval of the 600+ page document, the lockout will official end July 21.


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