Oh man. How awesome was Saturday night? Did this actually pan out for anyone?

We pretend to hate everyone who isn’t us, but we’re actually sorta chummy with hockey fans across this great land (not including Canada). Through Puck Buddys, we hooked up with The Production Line, a charming operation out of Detroit that runs an entertaining podcast I cannot recommend enough. We’re trying to get to know each other better, so we’re doing something called 5-on-5– a rapid-fire Q&A designed to reveal dark secrets and rankle egos. Our answers are already up over on their site, so go feast your eyes on that action.

Below, check out how Robert Discher of The Production Line handles questions about the nature of winning, Steve Yzerman’s legacy, Pavel Datsyuk’s reliability, and cavemen.

Our questions are in bold, so don’t blame us for the rest.

1. Straight-up: what does Detroit think of Washington? Bonus points if you can avoid the words “fragile”, “groin”, and “golf.”

People forget that before we were this mangorgeous collection of Swedes and rugged Canadian Castoffs, the Wings spent a hell of a long time toiling in mediocrity. I remember in the mid-90’s, everyone was bitching about how Stevie Yzerman wasn’t capable of winning the Cup… how those teams had everything they should need to make a big run but they couldn’t pull it off. The truth is that it just takes time to get to the top of the hill… unless your’e Chicago, in which case you mortgage your entire decade’s worth of building on one season and then crash back to earth the next year. In most cases though, you have to get close… you have to get knocked down a few times… before you can be a true threat to go the distance. I see… and I sense a lot of Detroit fans do too… that Washington is immensely talented. The Shakedown on Saturday that we just witnessed is testament to that. IN SPADES. My sense is that the Caps will eventually break through, especially now that you have Vokoun in net. That guy is a legitimate monster. He’s one of those “missing piece” guys you bring in to put you over the top.

Do we really get concerned about you the way we do… say… the Pens? Not yet. But you’ll get there. A Wings-Caps finals isn’t out of the question. Crawl before you can walk. It’s less an issue of fragility than one of longevity (that’s what she said).

2. Pavel Datsyuk is well into his massive contract (about $46.9M over 7 years). Is he still worth his paycheck, and what are you expecting from him this year?

Photo credit: Ann Heisenfelt

I expect the world out of Pavel. I think that’s fair. He’s a unique talent, a hard worker and, sidenote, a pretty damn funny guy if you appreciate subtle humor (story for another time). He showed up large in last year’s playoffs and I expect him to get back into the league elite, points-wise, during this regular season. Part of this is just pragmatism speaking. We can’t have Phil Kessel leading the league, can we? That absolutely won’t stand, no matter how much hot air from the Toronto press pumps up his tires.

Part of what you have to appreciate with Pavel is how rounded his game is. The man is an absolute panty-dropping thief on the backcheck. It’s what separates him from a guy like Rick Nash, who toils in a b-level market (I’m being generous because my girlfriend is from Ohio) and won’t ever amount to more than being a huge guy with great hands that notches a lot of points. Pavel was out last year for a good chunk of the season. If he stays healthy, despite a slow start, he’ll be a top-25 points getter.

3. Do Red Wing fans kinda-sorta support Tampa Bay just cause of the Stevie Y connection? Please say no, because they’re like our biggest rival now.

Do you want me to lie to you? Sometimes that makes these conversations easier. No? Well… uh…. yea… Detroit fans have a small love affair with the Bolts. Hard not to. Yzerman meant everything to our town. He was an offensive phenom who developed into a true leader with a two-way game. He was the Captain of the Wings for pretty much my entire life until he retired. The Bolts in and of themselves have little to do with this love directed their way. It’s purely based on their association with The Captain. If he were in the car insurance business right now, we’d all be switching over from DC-based Geico. If he were in the shoe business we’d all be wearing Yzerman loafers… WITH the tassel. It’s just part of the game when it comes to Stevie. Man can do no wrong… including going to the Southeast Division.

4. With realignment looming next year, what is the ideal outcome for the Red Wings? Is it a jump the Eastern Conference? Do you need 6 games with Chicago every year? Would it be absurd for Detroit to be in the Southeast Division? What do you want to see as fans?

We talked about this at length on our radio show two weeks back. Great question. We tinkered with everything from a straight-up swap with Winnipeg to a six-team super conference that started with the original six teams and then kicked one team out every year. Actually, the second idea was pretty solid if you’re a Detroit fan. The summary: The Wings land next year in a six-team conference comprised of the original teams. The rest of the league is lumped into one gigantic “other” conference. The original six teams automatically get into the playoffs each year, but every year, the best team from the “other conference” gets pulled into the O6 Conference and we kick out the worst team in the O6 (the safe money is on Toronto for year one). It’s kinda like the Premier League, but with better teeth.

In all seriousness, I am fine with the Wings going to the Eastern Conference as long as we still get to play Chicago and St. Louis and we do a roadie through the better teams in the West. (sit down, Calgary, we’re not talking about you here). While I hate the idea of getting lumped in with the Sex Panthers, I actually like some of the other teams in the SE Division. You guys… Tampa Bay… it’s not a bad setup. Ideally, we’d switch to the Eastern and just do away with the divisional setup. It’s a forced system that’s based on trying to jam rivalries on people. Unnecessary. Bring Detroit to the East. Abolish divisional play. Give us 3-4 games/year against Little Brother down there in Chicago. Done and done.

5. I hear Detroit has lost nearly half of its population since the economy turned to slush. Meanwhile, D.C. has the worst traffic in the country. Who’s got it worse? Side question: It’s totally like I Am Legend in Detroit right now, isn’t it?

You can tell it's the inner loop because that circle of hell goes counter-clockwise.

As a massive Bad Boys fan, I’m rather content with the image of Detroit being populated with a band of Will Smiths driving American super-cars around abandoned streets, wielding excessive firepower. You really know your audience here, Peter. Having lived in DC, and as someone who still can’t quite figure out which way the “inner beltway” rotates, I have to say that Northern Virginia traffic is about as close to the missing ring of hell as I hope to get on this planet. Short story: I once took a redeye back from Vegas… into Dulles… on the back of a bachelor party weekend… on a Monday morning. The hangover’s brutality was somehow outpaced by the sheer discomfort of having to sit on 66 into The District. I lived on formerly-edgy U Street, so I rarely had to deal with this monstrosity, but in the rare moments where I got to experience the Key or GW bridges in the morning, I may or may not have contemplated driving the car off the side of the bridge… or a at least jumping out of it while it was moving, kinda like in the movie Navy Seals.

OT: Five cavemen fight five astronauts in an abandoned quarry. No weapons, no preparation. Who wins and how does it go down?

Cavemen in a landslide. Astronauts are creatures of technology and gadgets. The quarry is prime turf for the caveman and his rugged pragmatism.

SO: What does winning feel like? Please use descriptive language, because we have no idea.

You know that feeling you get when you have that first beer on a Saturday afternoon? Winning the Cup feels like that. …except imagine that beer was delivered to you by eleven topless, lonely Brazilian supermodels riding ponies. No. Actually, they’re all on the same pony. Yea… that’s about right.

Thanks to Robert of The Production Line. Read our answers to their questions.

Photo credit: Chris Gordon

A 24-year-old Mike Knuble, then a promising forward prospect, played nine games for the Detroit Red Wings during the 1996-97 season.

Players who were still playing during Knuble’s first season in the NHL include Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek, Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull, Mark Messier, Dino Ciccarelli, Brian Leetch, Grant Fuhr, and Ron Hextall.

Just days after Knuble’s first game, Phil Collins announced that he was leaving Genesis to focus on his solo career, M.C. Hammer wasn’t yet bankrupt, and it would be months before The Daily Show debuts on Comedy Central.

I guess what I am trying to say is Knuble is old getting up there in years, but don’t tell him that.

“I’m out there playing for another deal,” he said. “I’m not riding off into the sunset. I want to make that point clear to everybody. This is no farewell song.”

I agree with him, but it is one of the last tracks on a darn good Greatest Hits album.

Players like Knuble who are productive over the age of 35 tend to keep their production rates in the league relatively stable as they age. Knuble was also a late bloomer: He had averaged eight goals per season his first three years and has almost tripled that production in his last three.

Using wingers who played at 39 years old post-lockout, we can make an educated guess on Knuble’s production for 2011-12. I will caution you that the entire player pool from which to draw from is limited, containing only Bill Guerin, Brendan Shanahan, Mark Recchi, and Teemu Selanne.

Using these players as a guide, we can speculate that Knuble will play 75 games, score 34 points (21 G and 13A) while taking 188 shots on goal.

Here are some probabilities for goals and point scored:

“It’s going to be a challenging year, definitely, with more competition,” cautioned Knuble. “Nothing is guaranteed.”

We couldn’t agree more.

In part two of our Q/A with Andrew Gordon (part one can be read here), Gordo discusses his favorite NHL players and teams as a kid, if he reads blogs or newspaper articles about himself and what he did on his day with the Calder Cup this year. Mixed in is also a question submitted from a 9 year old reader, Cody, who asks Gordo what he thinks it would take for him to make it to the NHL someday.

In conclusion, all of us here at RMNB hope that you have enjoyed Andrew’s insightful responses to your questions over the past two days and his blogging throughout the Calder Cup Finals. Please join us in wishing him good luck for the upcoming season and a successful training camp. With that said, let’s get started with our first question.

Bill C. asks, “Andrew, who was your favorite player as a kid growing up and why?”

Thanks for the question, Bill. As a kid growing up I had all kinds of guys I really looked up to. When I became old enough to really follow hockey and understand the game, it was the 1992-93 season and I was 8 years old. This may have been the year that hockey took over my life, as my favorite team (brace yourself people…and I apologize in advance) the Montreal Canadians won the Stanley Cup and Teemu Selanne scored 76 goals on his way to a record-setting rookie season. Seeing as my father grew up in Winnipeg, the Jets were the other team I followed closely. So Teemu became my instant favorite. My father and I actually went to see a game in Winnipeg that season where the Jets faced Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings. Although I don’t remember all the details of the game (aside from Seleane getting two goals), I remember being amazed by the stadium and the fact that the guys on the ice were real live NHL players! In the same room as me! It was a day I hope I never forget.

As I grew older (and Seleane got traded from the Jets to the Ducks), I grew fond of various different players. I always loved the character guys who were known as all around players and were more than just pure skill guys. I liked Kirk Muller, Cam Neely, Trevor Linden and Steve Yzerman to name a few. I always believed that there is a big difference between the kind of player you want to have on your team, and the kind of player you need on your team. Teams need leaders. Guys with guts. I wanted to be a player that is known for performing when the chips are down the way these guys were. I watched them carefully and learned how much every game and every shift seemed to mean to them. The way they played the game inspired those around them. It wasn’t because of their ability; It was because of their attitude and determination. Guys with skills and character were always my favorite players growing up instead of the guys constantly in the spotlight.

Meghan H. of The Hockey Chronicles asks, “Gordo, now that you’ve written for a blog, I feel we should ask if you (as some Caps prospects, e.g. Dmitry Kugryshev, have been known to in the past) read blogs and other internet news sources about yourself? Or do you prefer, like many people, to keep away from them (and their often negative) opinions?

Hi Meghan! I personally will read something here and there, but pretty much only if I stumble across it. I will never go buy a newspaper to see what somebody said about me. In all honesty though, I find it’s better to leave the media to the fans and worry about what’s going on inside the dressing room. No matter what you read, I feel it can do you no good as a player. If you read all kinds of good press about yourself, you might start to feel like you’re something special. Your habits might change, even just a little bit, and that can be enough to change your focus. Every player at some point is written about and glorified as a sure thing to play in the NHL. This just isn’t a reality. People in the media write articles so people will read them. They are not always that useful. I repeat, they are written for the interest of readers. Any topic that might get people’s attention is worth writing about. When articles are written about a team as a whole, the writers are sending the band wagon rolling down a hill with hopes of people jumping on. If you are winning, the team is great and all mighty. If they are losing, everybody becomes an armchair GM with a million things they would do differently. None of it matters to anybody in the dressing room.

As an individual player, you will never please everybody. Your style of play and what you bring to a team will never be recognized by fans and media officials the way it can be realized and appreciated by your teammates. If someone writes an article or posts something online about me that is negative, it will mean absolutely nothing. It won’t change the way I play, my attitude, work ethic, goals, dreams or any other aspect of my life whatsoever. At the end of the day it’s an article. It will be recycled in two days and forgotten about anyway, no matter if it’s good or bad. I always think about the people who write those negative comments or articles. 99.99% of the media that I have encountered have never played at this (or any) high level of hockey, so they don’t really know what it’s like out there on the ice. For an example, let’s say a defenseman tries to clear the puck and turns it over for a goal and the team loses as a result. The media has the right to talk about what a miserable play he made and how bad he has been playing for weeks, blah blah blah. Nobody at the game day media buffet could do any better. Yet they have the power to critique based on speculation as opposed to experience. Hockey is a game that can be learned, but without playing it you will never fully understand what it’s like. In my mind all that matters is what the players and coaches have to say.

Overall, I’m not afraid to read what’s written, but I understand what it is that I’m reading. Good or bad it always comes in one ear and out the other. It’s always nice to hear or see people saying nice things about you, don’t get me wrong. But I’m interested in what can help me make the NHL. Not a writer’s opinion of my personal play or that of my team. The media is an incredibly valuable means of exposing the game to fans and keeping people attached to hockey, but to me as a player, it has no direct benefit.

Bev asks, “Andrew, what did you end up doing the day you had the Calder Cup this year?

There's more photos of Gordo with the cup on his Facebook Page. Friend him. RMNB promises he'll instantly become the coolest guy you know on there.

Bev, this year when I had the Calder Cup, my family had a little get together that we probably should have had last year but didn’t. Last summer, I had the Calder Cup just long enough to take a few pictures (which you can see on my facebook page) around my parent’s house and a nearby Nova Scotia Beach. Then I brought it over to Andrew Joudrey’s place where he in turn had a little open house. Friends and family members were welcome to drop by to take some pictures and see the trophy up close. This year we did something similar at our house. My mother did a wonderful job of organizing food and drinks for everyone on extremely short notice, then we had the majority of the neighborhood drop by to share a nice summer evening with the Cup. This included some close friends, neighbors and a couple old coaches from my minor hockey days. Nothing too crazy, but a fun get together with many of the people who have watched me grow up and helped raise me into the player and person that I am today. The next morning I handed it over to Andrew Joudrey yet again, and I haven’t seen it since!

Cody B. writes, “Andrew-I am 9 years old and learning to play hockey. I eat, sleep, and drink it. I started by learning to skate this summer, in a clinic at my local rink, and have signed up for the Jr. Bears Inhouse Clinic. For my age, do you have any advice to keep me focused on my dream of becoming a professional hockey player? I am looking forward to seeing you this year at the Bear’s games. Thank you for your time.”

Cody, my advice would be to have fun and don’t let anybody push you but yourself. Hockey is a fun game. Even now I get all kinds of comments on how I always look like I’m having fun on the ice. The secret is…I am! My dad always tells the story of when I was about six years old and we were driving to or from a hockey practice (I can’t remember which). In the car, dad was giving me some instruction on what I had to do to become a better hockey player. You know, how to work harder, focus on what I was doing, and so on. I don’t remember this happening, but he tells me at one point I just interrupted him and said something along the lines of “Lay off dad! I’m just a kid trying to have fun!” That was the end of it. My dad never pushed me or instructed me again. From then on after practice or games he would ask me “Did you have fun today?” and based on my response we would move forward from there. Hockey was always the most fun activity I could possible do, because I only played it when I wanted to (which was a lot). I was never forced to go to hockey schools unless I asked for it. I never had to go work out unless it was my idea. By having fun and getting better on my own, I never lost that same love of the game I developed when I was 5-6 years old. You can love hockey as much as you do now, if you always enjoy it on your own time.

My second piece of advice I’ll pass on was something I was told many times in my career: ALWAYS find a way to get better. Understand that you can always get better. No matter how many goals you score or points you get or championships you win, there is always room to improve your game. There are millions of kids playing hockey around the world and if you work harder at getting better than all of them, you up your chances of becoming a professional player! Every player on earth can always become a better skater, a harder more accurate shooter, and physically stronger on his/her skates. There is an old quote that was posted in the weight room in St. Cloud where I went to college that bluntly said “When you’re done getting better, you’re done.” I feel that one is pretty self-explanatory.

My last piece of advice would be to dream bigger than anybody can see possible. You said you dream about being a professional hockey player. That’s a good start. When you close your eyes at night, don’t just see yourself as a pro, but one playing in the NHL. Being a superstar. Playing in NHL all-star games. Representing your country at the World Championships. See yourself winning the Olympics. Hoisting the Stanley Cup. Being the Captain of your favorite team. Winning scoring titles and MVP awards. Dream anything you can possibly think of! The more you think about it now, the easier it will be to achieve later. Never be afraid to talk about your dreams either. Share them with people and have them on your mind every day. I’m 24 years old and I still dream about all the same stuff. This reminds me of another quote I remember reading in the dressing room of my Midget AAA team in Dartmouth Nova Scotia. It said, “A dream is like a chauffeur. It will take you exactly where you want to go.”

Inimitable V Cristina asks, “Gordo, you are very humble and appreciative of your fans. If your career keeps taking off and you end up being the big shot you’re going to be in the NHL, how do you think it would change you?”

I believe that if I ever make the NHL full time, it wouldn’t change me as a person at all. No matter where I’m playing, I’m still the small town guy from Porters Lake, Nova Scotia, with parents I respect and a big sister I look up to. I’m honestly flattered and amazed that people have any interest in me at all! In reality, we hockey players are just normal guys. Everybody in the world has a million things they are good at. I was just fortunate enough to have hockey be one of mine. I’m not going to act differently because of it. I have never seen anybody walk around acting like a jerk to people because they are the best parallel parker in the world. I see hockey in that same light. Hockey is something I am good at. It doesn’t define me as a person. It’s a part of my life like everything else I do.

I think being humble is something that comes from my sister. We have always got along extremely well, but when I was young, sometimes I would start to feel like I was a pretty cool guy. She would always be the first to remind me that I was in no way better than anybody else just because I played hockey. There is an image of a prototypical hockey player in my head that I’m sure everyone reading this can imagine. My sister was not going to allow me to become that. I still thank her to this day! As for appreciating fans, I feel it’s simple. Without them we have nothing at all! How could you not appreciate hockey fans? You are the ones that make playing hockey so enjoyable. Nobody in the world enjoys playing in an empty stadium, and I find having a big crowd allows me to play better. Perhaps that’s why we won 24 in a row at home last year? The fans bring energy to the arena and it gives us an extra push that you can’t get anywhere else. I always appreciate that!

There are always days however (predominantly after losing), where I don’t want to talk to anybody. I don’t want to sign autographs or talk about what happened on the ice moments before. But that’s part of the job. People are there because they want to talk to me, so I’m always happy to oblige them in a short conversation, especially if there are kids involved. I remember when I was a kid asking for pictures, sticks and autographs and the feelings I would get when a player would spend a little time talking with me. I have some really good pictures and memories of Alex Tanguay and me together when he was playing Junior for the Halifax Mooseheads. My peewee team won a practice with the Mooseheads and after scoring a shootout goal I mimicked his signature celebration. Immediately he rushed over, grabbed me and began to hassle me for stealing his moves. I remember being so excited that he was paying me this extra attention, and now I am someone who can make people feel just the way I did that day. In my line of work I am in a position to brighten people’s day just by saying hello and remembering a face. I feel I wouldn’t be respecting what I have been given if I didn’t do at least that.

Well guys, I hope I managed to somewhat answer your questions amongst my ramblings! Looking back, I think some of them dragged on a bit. But it’s much harder to explain some of these things in writing. I could do a much better job in person. If you see me on the street don’t be afraid to say hello.

Thanks again for your time! See you in D.C in a few days!

Yours in hockey,
Andrew Gordon