Good day from high atop the Xcel Energy Center ice, where I’m watching the Detroit Red Wings get set for their first indoor game of 2009 - tonight against the Wild.

Minnesota ended its skate about 45 minutes ago. Benoit Pouliot, Colton Gillies, Kurtis Foster and Niklas Backstrom were the last four on the ice this morning - so read into that however you want. Jacques Lemaire was asked by a Detroit reporter who was in net tonight, and he refused to disclose his choice. No surprise there. Even if Josh Harding was the first off the ice, doesn’t mean anything Jacques said.

The first defenseman I spotted on the ice this morning was John Scott, who got word during a nap yesterday afternoon he was being called up from AHL Houston. At 6-foot-8, 258 pounds how can you miss him? No word yet if Scott, 26, will make his NHL debut tonight against the defending Stanley Cup champs. Jacques said it would be quite the tall task (ha, ha) to go against a team like Detroit in your debut. But no decision as of yet.

Marian Gaborik, by the way, was officially put on IR to make room for Scott.

Marek Zidlicky, who has been ill the past few days, was back on the ice this morning. But, just like Scott, there is no word on his status for tonight.

Lemaire was asked if he might consider going with five defensemen tonight against the Red Wings.

“We might need eight,” Jacques said. “Maybe 10.”

Other than that, no big news. Kim Johnsson was not on the ice this morning, and I did not see Andrew Brunette, either, but I might have missed him. Jacques said today was optional, regardless.

I’ll be back on prior to the puck drop with more updates. Right now, I’m heading downstairs to catch some of the Red Wings skate up close …

… and continued to be entertained by this Q&A session going on right now up here in the press box between TV guy Mike Greenlay and a group of kids.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 at 11:56 am and is filed under Pregame skate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.