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Last DET-NYI Matchup Next Game vs.

I'd love it if the site wasn't so full of condescending assholes who feel as if they are superior to everyone else with their opinions. If you don't agree fine, but feel free to leave the arrogant attitude out of your response.

Cheap shot in my opinion. Doesn't look like Salo is even looking to throw a big hit, much less a dirty one. This is why discipline has to come from the league. You can't just assume someone is going to throw a dirty hit, and use that assumption to justify a dirty preemptive strike. Vigilante justice never works, and only causes more injuries and injuries to innocent people. Marchand absolutely should be suspended. If I remember correctly, he has a history of going for the knees too. 2-5 games I'd say, depending on his repeat status.

Well, I think this is exactly about some people trying to correlate fighting to winning. Of course, there isn't one, so the enforcer slappies have to duck behind vagueness like "grit". They insinuate that there's some special, intangible "toughness" that can't be measured or specified in any way, but is possesed by all Cup winners, and lacking everywhere else. Anything contradictory is dismissed as "not what I mean by toughness". In 08 our forward with the most hits in the playoffs was Datsyuk. In the regular season we were 25th in the league in hits. 13th in hits/game in the playoffs. 1st in playoff hits was New Jersey, then Anaheim, who both lost in the 1st round. In 02, we were 26th in the regular season and again 13th in the playoffs. So far this year we are 24th, ahead of Boston, Chicago, and San Jose. Last year we were 19th, ahead of both Boston and Vancouver. Columbus, Dallas, and Carolina were all in the top 5 in hits last year and missed the playoffs. Abby is a gritty, physical player. Gets in on the forecheck, finishes his checks. Defensively responsible, wins battles down low, drives the net, etc. He is a lot like Drake, except for the near mythical proportions Drake has taken on since the Cup win. Helm and Cleary are still Helm and Cleary. Miller and Eaves also play hard, battle down low and in the corners, play good defense, etc. Emmerton and Conner aren't very physical, but Hudler was also in our bottom 6 in 8. McCarty played mostly in place of Maltby, then in place of Cleary when he moved up to take Mule's place. Not much of a net gain in physicality, especially considering he only played about 6 minutes a night. In the 08 regular season we had Draper, Drake, Maltby, Kopecky, Sammuelsson, and Downey. This year we have Helm, Abby, Bert, Miller, Eaves, and Emmerton. In 08, those guys combined for 397 games and 538 hits. This year, our 6 have 246 hits in 188 games. Using last years numbers (but this year for Emmerton), it's also 397 games, and 632 hits. There is no correlation between toughness and winning. We were soft in 08, were soft now. We can still win. Of course, it would be great if we could be just as good while also being tougher. It would be great if we could be just as good, and everyone was also a better goal scorer. Or just as good and 15% faster. Sure, there are players that are as good as some of our players who can also fight or are more physical. No one is suggesting that we should avoid those players. I for one am not even saying those players are that hard to find. I would even like someone physical for the top 6 (I think our bottom 6 is fine). What I have a problem with is the veiled (or sometimes open) insinuation that replacing someone like Miller with a similar player who can fight is what will put us over the top. It's silly.

There are a few articles of Babcock saying he likes having a guy to keep the flies off. I dont equate that to an enforcer, but hes playing Commie now isnt he? He likes his tough players for sure. Even while Kindl has seemed solid thhis year, the only aspect Commie adds that Kindl doesnt is his ability to scrap and play mean. Downey wasn't sent down in 08, he was replaced by Mccarty in the lineup who would still scrap but was a bit better skater, not to mention a real feel good story for the team to eat up. So I guess an enforcer was playing when games mattered. As for the "myth" about winning with a grittier bottom 6.... its pretty obvious that when the wings played in 08 they had their grittiest bottom 6 that could wear other teams down. Drake Draper Cleary was the third line, Helm Mccarty Hudler the fourth line. 5 of the wings bottom 6 that year were very gritty players. The next year playing with a very skilled Sammy Flip Hudler third line, the wings fell short. It was well documented that Babcock made a push to get May here and Mayers here when they were both younger. Once some guys got injured Babcock got May here but when he was past his prime. Detroit was really injured tha year so May played a good chunk of games until the team got healthy again. I might agree with you that Holland doesnt really care for having a tougher team but I would say its pretty obvious Babcock likes them. Hes looking past his history with Commie to play him over a former first round pick who has been pretty solid this season

I was just watching the replays again to see Montador get rocked, but I couldn't help but listen to see Olczyk's response and first comment after the goal. Doc is going off about Datsyuk, Edzo sighs in angst, Pierrer praises the Wings for their work down low and says Pav puts it in, and then Edzo says "Off of Nick Leddy. We talked about it before..." and then goes on to ***** and moan. It is disgusting how that's all he has to say and goes straight to the excuses. I'm sure that whole time he was quiet after his sigh he was having them cue up the replay so he could let the excuses rain down. Screw this, we should all write NBC.

He better not. Franzen got punched in the head while he was laying prostrate on the ice. If you're enough of a ***** to punch someone who's face down on the ice, you can put your big-boy Underoos on and take a punch to the face in response.

"Five games?!" "F U Shanahan!"

Filppula plus a top prospect and a first would be an over payment for Ryan. Hudler would be more suitable in that deal. And Holland would never trade Filppula for a player that is a UFA in the summer and who we have a great chance at signing. It will never. Happen. Guaranteed. Yeah, because scoring 5 more points and 6 more goals in the next 41 games is really unlikely for Filppula.

What killed Marchand's credibility is the fact that the exact same play happened less than 20 seconds before the clip and Marchand didn't feel the need to "instinctively" crouch down...that and he retaliated after the first hit as well. Not really too hard for Shanny to see through the bulls*** on that one.

Just ran across this, not sure if it has been posted up here yet but I thought it was both funny and dumb.

Marchand should be suspended just for having such an annoying face. He acts tough because he knows he's backed up by such a tough team. I'd like to see this ***** pull his antics in another uniform.

That price would not get it done. However accorrding to REAL NHL experts, Tatar is indeed a very good prospect.

Cherry hates the Wings because they have proven him wrong for about 20 years now. The Wings proved a team can win a Cup with Euro players on the roster. Would I like the Wings to have a few more gritty players? Sure I would. But no one can knock the excellent job Holland has done of building this team and maintaining its position in the upper echelon of the NHL for so many years now. This just in. You can't win the Cup every year. It's a very hard trophy to win and it takes many variables to win it. Talent, match-ups, healthy, luck, etc. Cherry likes to rip the Wings when they are down. I recall in 1997 when he ripped the Wings all year on Coaches Corner and then he jumped on the bandwagon in Game 4 of the Cup Final. He always boasts when he is right but never admits to when he is wrong, which is most of the time. Heck he had Bobby Orr on his Bruins' teams when he coached and he still couldn't win a Cup. His jealousy of Holland is very clear and I actually get a kick out of it.

Unprofessional sigh at 0:47.

marchand has a clear case of kasparitis.

I hope you're not seriously comparing these two.

Anaheim would be crazy not to make that deal. And Holland would be crazy to offer it. Filpulla is 32nd in league scoring right now, tied with Parise and Perry. Not to mention how good he is defensively. That plus our first or second best prospect? A serviceable role player? AND a first round pick?

If you don't want to get hit, don't play hockey.

I believe it 100 percent Im friends with someone on the capitals and he said the exact same thing

We should start a thread about how Holland should sign a tough guy.

Don Cherry is cute.

he is extremely entertaining. the worst homers are the Pittsburgh guys. they whine and complain about every penalty called against the pens, and everytime one of their guys takes a tumble and the pens don't get a PP. and they aren't even close to entertaining. and to think those are the guys i get where i live. awful.

Am I the only one who finds the guy thoroughly entertaining?

Self-medication can be oh so dangerous.