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?

In my column in Thursday, I write about how the Detroit Red Wings get shafted by being in the NHL’s Western Conference (See Thursday’s Evening News sports section for details).

I could not stay up for Tuesday night’s game with the alarm clock set to ring at 5 a.m. Luckily, I don’t work Friday morning, so I can stay up for tonight’s game.

How have you adapted to these late-night games? Do you try to stay up?

One friend told me lose sleep over the Wings until they get into the later rounds of the playoffs.

I wrote in my column Evening News column Sunday that the Red Wings could not afford to let up in the second game of their series against Calgary.

I doubt if any of the Detroit players read that, but they seemed to take it to heart. They came flying out of the gate and grabbed a 2-0 lead before the Flames had a chance to get settled in. It was an impressive display of hockey.

It’s way too early in the playoffs to draw any conclusions, but this Red Wing team appears focused on making a long playoff run. Tuesday night’s game in Calgary will be telling.

Another thing to watch for: Will the Wings be the beneficiary of the same types of calls from the referees that they got at home.

What has been the most impressive aspect of this fast start for you?

The Detroit Red Wings acquired Todd Bertuzzi just before Tuesday’s NHL trading deadline.

It will be interesting to see how the fans react to the man who was involved in one of the league’s most disturbing cheap-shot incidents in recent years.

Will you boo or cheer him when he takes the ice in Detroit?