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Anybody that would prefer Yzerman over Holland as a GM at this point is truly on crack. That includes Ilitch.

Why does Lebda have to wait for this Lidstrom joker to make a decision? Hurry up already with the decision so that we can know whether Lebda will be back or not next year.

So I was listening to NHL radio a few weeks back on a slow day at work when Gary Bettman's live show was starting. For those unfamiliar, he takes callers questions and does lame interviews. So I decided to call in. I got through right away and I told his call screener I wanted to know if, like last year, would the first 2 games of the Cup finals be played on back to back nights. And I was told to hold. And I did for almost the entire hour. While Gary took one call after another. Toward the end he started taking some really weak calls and I was convinced he didn't want to answer my question on the air. Even though the Wings won both those first 2 games, I am convinced they were scheduled like that to favor that team from pennsylvania (seeing as Lidstrom was nursing an injury and yes, Detroit was the older team). Anyhow, finally he takes my call, the last call of the show. The show was on a 2 minute delay so I knew I had to watch what I said or they would just dump me. (And believe me, there was a lot I wanted to say) After he apologized for the long hold I said, "I think like a lot of hockey fans I felt playing the first two games of the Cup finals on back to back nights last year was an irreverent publicity stunt. Teams work so hard all year to get there and they deserved not to be rushed. And I want to know if we are going to see that again when scheduling this seasons Cup finals?" (I wanted to throw in "or was that just to try and screw the Wings last year?" But I didn't want to sound whiney or have my call dropped.) Once I had asked my question I was disconnected at once. I put on my head phones and a minute or so later, sure enough, my question was aired. And Gary's answer was absolutely YES. He started to spin saying that he felt it got things off to a good start and helped bring in some of the leagues best ratings in years...blah blah spin blah" (We all know it was the teams playing that brought in the ratings.) Cut to today and I look that the schedule for the Cup final and I see that, surprise surprise, Gary lied. All the games are at least a day apart (as they should be). So not only did that weasel spin a bunch of B.S. he straight up lied to me on NHL radio. Unreal. Sorry for the long post and to bring up that weasel and bad memories. But I had to rant.

Franzen-Zetterberg-Alfredsson Ovechkin-Datsyuk-Radulov J. Ruutu-Filppula-T. Ruutu (The Vantaa line) Michalek-Krejci-Hudler Lidstrom-Kronwall Keith-Stuart Suter-Rafalski Miller Howard

Ive read in multiple articles that Bertuzzi doesnt want to be anywhere but here and that the money issue will be worked out. He likes playing in this atmosphere and likes the role that he has on the team. Combine that with all the Holland interviews saying that he loves how Bert plays and wants to have him back next season, and id say we have a contract in the waiting. I dont see a huge raise by anymeans as i beleive Bert is still seeing money come in from previous teams, so i dont think the wings will have to give him much more than what he was getting this season. With Williams more than likely gone, and the possibility of Lidstrom taking a pay cut, i dont think we will have a problem filling a competitive roster, one with Bertuzzi. I would look to him having a comparable season to this year with hopefully less penalties. Hopefully he can still get 20 goals playing on the 3rd line all season. he got alot of his goals this season when he was getting 1st and second line minutes when we had alot of injuries, But hopefully with Hudler returning we will be able to field a good scoring 1st 2nd and 3rd line.

"What if Leino didn't have drive?" Lol... that's an easy one to answer. He'll get sent out of town on a rail. We know... we saw it. Lmao! *Queue the Finnish turds and the neg button*

yeah i'm getting sick of this prima donna lindstrom guy holding back our blue chip players like lebda. he's due for at least a 3 mil raise this year and he probably won't even get it

McLellan back to detroit

Why? Primarily because you are acting like a tough guy telling people it is not okay or it is stupid to do stuff when it is perfectly okay to. If you would've restated the above earlier instead of making Holland out to be this bad terrible person, you'd probably be a bit less nuts. If you did this and I failed to see it, I apologize. Still, Holland isn't doing anything out of the ordinary in terms of greed or selfishness here.

You're out of your damned mind you know that?

I used to think I would feel betrayed, but with his Team Canada work and all the talk lately it just seemed like an inevitability. He has a great opportunity: he can't do any worse and has a great core squad to work with. With some luck he may just be able to mold Stamkos into Cindy's replacement as the face of the league, and wouldn't that be nice.

We played in first game in a Wings jersey and he played his last game in a Wings jersey. If he was on the ice in a NHL game, he was wearing the Winged Wheel. If people want to get a Lightning styled suit that says Yzerman, fine but his jersey will always be a Red Wings one.

we know the scheduling is not entirely up to him.. NBC has the NHL by the balls after all..

Congrats to Stevie on finding employment in the current job market.

What if he takes Maclean with him to be the HC?

wait to go completely ignoring the context of the thread... http://detnews.com/article/20100522/OPINION03/5220399/Re-signing-Tomas-Holmstrom-likely--but-no-slam-dunk-for-Red-Wings this makes me think he wants a raise, not a huge one, but a slight one... he could very well stay at 2.25 as well, I just don't see him taking a paycut as so many have suggested

I want the Hawks and Hawks will take it. GO HAWKS!

Leino played on a line with Filppula and with other fairly good players for awhile. No dice. He was lazy and he generally sucked. Holland wouldn't have traded him otherwise; as you may have noticed, loyalty is a keystone of this franchise, and so players very rarely get traded unless there's something genuinely wrong with how they're playing. We needed the cap space and Leino wasn't willing to put forth his all, and so he's gone. Quincey had every chance to prove himself. He got time in the regular season and he played a bunch of games in the '07 playoffs. He didn't even show a glimmer of the offensive talent he has exhibited over the past two seasons. Meech, on the other hand, played quite well when he was thrust into essentially a #1 defense slot during the injury spell in '08. That's why Meech stayed and Quincey did not. What you're doing here is bitching. You are making complaints that have absolutely no basis in reality. You are engaging in a course of egregious hindsight criticism. What's your problem?

Slap him in the ass and call him jimmeh

Yes Joey T... You have got it down to an artform now.

Hmm... Two second-pairing defensemen, a third-pairing guy and a kid with strong potential who is probably the second best if not best defenseman in the entire group, and in two-three years will easily outpace the other three. Sounds like a standard Toronto unit. Drop your bona-fide star defenseman in favor of a bunch of overpaid chumps. Maybe Burke's highly physical team style will win out in the less physical East and provide playoff success as it has for Philly. Wait... that would require making the playoffs. Never mind.

Horrible recommendations in this thread, just dreadful. ESPN has less credibility less than Ecklund.

I was at the Joe for the Pens vs Wings game first time back after winning the Cup there, Wings fans were loud and crazy all game long, giving it to Crosby every time he was on the ice. Got to here the crowd sing Dont stop believing,Jimmy smacked crosby around then the crowd boo'd/chanted crosby sucks until he left the ice. Awsome game

I'll give you two reasons why the NHL belongs on ESPN. Reason 1: Reason 2: nuff said.