Welcome!

I am trying something for the first time in my 40+ year gaming history: a real-time replay of a team's hockey season.

My selection is the 1969-70 Red Wings. They went 40-21-15 and the season is noteworthy for a few reasons.

1. Owner Bruce Norris fired coach Bill Gadsby after a 2-0 start. Yes, after two games. I actually talked to Gadsby about it several years ago and to this day he has no idea why he was fired. He said Norris (who was drinking something alcoholic during their meeting---he was an alcoholic) told him the team was looking for a "more modern coach," whatever the hell that was. GM Sid Abel went behind the bench, where he'd been for many years before hiring Gadsby in 1968. Gadsby had a bunch of fun stories to tell, like how Norris had a telephone installed behind the Red Wings bench so the owner could call Gadsby during games (can you imagine such a thing today?). Eventually Gadsby had the phone torn out.

2. It was the last playoff season for the Red Wings until 1978, which was the last one until 1984. So this season was just before "Darkness with Harkness," referring to new coach Ned Harkness, hired out of Cornell in 1970. Harkness lasted about half a season before being promoted to GM after the players revolted (culminating in a non-effort, 13-0 loss in Toronto on January 2, 1971). Harkness was constantly hammering Garry Unger for the length of Unger's hair. Abel wanted to fire Harkness but Norris wouldn't allow it, so Abel quit. Harkness was GM for 3 years and he was less than brilliant.

3. The Wings lost in the first round of the playoffs, being swept by Chicago. The score of every game in the series was 4-2.

The 1969-70 calendar perfectly matches 2014-15, so it makes it even easier to know when to play the games. So far the Red Wings are 6-4-3 and have a tilt tonight (Thursday) in Boston, who beat them 4-3 on Saturday night.