The Pressbox

Mike Szanerowsky must be happy now that Todd Bertuzzi has left the Detroit Red Wings to sign with Anaheim.

Szanerowsky is the Monroe hockey fan I wrote about a few months ago who said he would not watch another Detroit game as long as Bertuzzi was in a Red Wing uniform.

Well, his nemesis is gone, but there is a hole left in the Detroit roster. So far this offseason, they have lost Bertuzzi, Robert Lang and Mathieu Schneider and say they can not afford to keep Danny Markov. The only significant addition is defenseman Brian Rafalski.

The summer hasn’t been very much fun for Wings’ general manager Ken Holland so far.

What do you think Holland should do? Are there any free agents out there that you like?

Personally, I think Ryan Smith would be a great fit, but he might be too expensive.

Chris Chelios has created a stir by not shaking the hands of the Anaheim Ducks after the Red Wings fell Tuesday night in the Western Conference finals.

Frankly, I don’t understand the uproar. Sure, it is tradition to shake hands after a Stanley Cup playoff series, but who cares if Chelios didn’t want to get in line. Maybe he was afraid that something bad would happen.

Sometimes it is better just to head to the lockerroom.

I was covering a high school football game a few years ago that got so nasty that the referees decided to call the game early. The team that was behind was going for cheap shots on nearly every play and openly boasting about how they were going to hurt someone.

When the referees wisely ended this advertisement for bad sportsmanship, the coaches decided for some reason to line up their players for the traditional postgame handshakes. It was recipe for trouble and everyone knew it. I heard the coach of the winning team tell his players to keep their helmets on and mouthguards in for the handshake.

Sure enough, someone from the losing team took a swing at one of his opponents and a fight broke out. The police had to be called to break up the melee.

Sometimes NOT shaking hands is a good idea.

I need some help here. Not being a naturally superstitious sort, I don’t know how to handle this situation.

I bought a Detroit Red Wings shirt the other day and wore it for the first time during Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Calgary. I wore it again during Sunday’s 2-1 double-overtime win to finish off the Flames.

I think I am now required to wear it for every game until they lose.

My question is this: Am I allowed to wash it or would that remove all of the good luck?

Give me your playoff advice. And please share your sports superstitions. Do you have to sit in a certain seat, where a particular outfit, eat a special meal before a game?