The Game Managers: April 12, 2016: Preparing to say goodbye to Pavel

Bracing for the end of the Datsyuk era

I haven’t watched as many Red Wings games this year as I have in years past, which is weird, because for the first time in my adult life, I have a job that allows me to not be in the office literally every time the Red Wings play.

Part of the reason is that I am basically a senior citizen now when it comes to falling asleep. I don’t know if there’s another part.

I do know that I’ve missed almost all of Pavel Datsyuk’s final season, and I regret that. (This will be his final season, by the way, despite him backing away from his comments a bit on Monday, he’s gone).

Datsyuk is just one in a long line of Detroit superstars to retire, and frankly, his departure is much less surprising than that of Calvin Johnson. But this one feels more personal, probably because Pavel Datsyuk was so uniquely ours despite being so uniquely Russian.

All of the magic, all of the turning defensemen inside out, all of the amazing defensive work, all of the winning and all of the silly little things he did off the ice when someone was able to get him to open up a bit made us love Pavel Datsyuk.

We would defend him to the death in arguments about the best players in the sport, even if his point totals didn’t always add up to the Ovechkins and Crosbys. His all-around game was our argument, and the stack of Selke trophies in his house backed that up.

Nobody appreciated him like we did, we thought, and there is some truth to that. But those who truly appreciate hockey certainly appreciate Pavel. Still, our having to defend the honor of Datsyuk -- and Zetterberg -- while others received more of a spotlight, made us love him more. It helped to fill the narrative we thought was being crafted in the NHL offices, and we were happy to fight against it while pointing to our European superstars.

Datsyuk leaving will certainly create a void, and the contract situation -- which leaves the Red Wings on the hook for his cap hit next year -- is not ideal. But it’s time.

He helped bridge the gap from the Hall of Fame-filled Wings rosters to the current younger version. He may not be the player he was, but he still has enough to delight the Russian fans in the KHL for a season or two.

He’s not done yet, of course, as the playoffs begin Wednesday.

Postseason games always come with a greater sense of urgency, but that will no doubt be magnified this year in Detroit, where we know this magical run is coming to an end.

Three Things to Read Today

Stanley Cup Playoffs: A primer from our Canadian friends

We don’t go to Canada, specifically TSN, for much in the sporting world. But dammit, even though there are no Canadian teams competing for Lord Stanley’s Cup this year, we’d be remisced if we didn’t use the knowledge of our hockey overlords to our benefit this time of year. Here’s round by round predictions courtesy of TSN’s Scott Cullen.

Here’s some other Stanley cup expert picks

ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports and five bold predictions from USA Today

The needs of the whiny few outweigh the needs of the many

The NCAA stamped in a ban on satellite camps this weekend. To call it a knee-jerk decision would be an insult to your Patellar reflex. Just about everybody to weigh in on the subject has condemned the decision as nothing more than college football’s governing body bowing down to the wishes of a few of its most powerful. And then, a few of its most powerful spoke out against it. Andy Staples of SI lays out who this rule really hurts.

Headlines