Ahem

It's deep in the hockey doldrums we are... adrift and becalmed until late September when the exhibition season begins.  But every once in a while we'll see an interesting bit o' flotsam or jetsam drift by, and here's one such:

In 2010-11, the road teams with the highest attendance numbers all had distinct personalities to them. The Red Wings were the league’s highest-drawing road team, with a stunning 99.9 percent of tickets sold. Fans in 29 other NHL cities know what they’re getting when Detroit is in town – an abundance of skill, speed and no mindless, goon-infested gong shows – and they respond to it.

Yup.  Love 'em or hate 'em, the Beloved Wings are the league's biggest draw and one will see a sea of red or white jerseys sporting the winged-wheel logo in every hockey barn in these United States and Canada when the Wings are in town.  The quote is from a Hockey News article about the importance of team image, even though I KNOW there are precious few among my four or five readers who will take notice, let alone follow the link.  But it pleases ME, Gentle Reader, and it might please S-Andy and SN1... for entirely different reasons, of course.