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i may not be a red wings fan,but i am getting a sad feeling about the possibility of nick lidstrom retiring tomorrow,not only could the wings be losing their captain and best defenseman,but this leauge could be losing one of the best defenceman to play the game of hockey,nobody will be able to top the style of nick lidstrom

Sad? hell no. I have 20 years of great memories and 4 cups because of nick. he is one of the best ever to play the game. It is time to say THANK YOU! as loud as we can, and look forward to the next chapter. can we get a waiver and hang Nick's jersey in the HOF on Friday? Thanks Nick for all the time, effort and memories!

Didn't he have a press conference last year about playing one more year?

There's no need to remind me of how pointless this is. Free agents are going to be signed. Trades are going to be made. New prospects are going to be drafted. Top prospects are going to bust (it'd be surprising if even half the prospects I'm listing ever become regulars). Sleeper prospects are going to emerge. Star players might decline (or get hurt). Role players might breakout. Etc...etc...etc. I know it's pointless. I don't care that it's pointless. I still have fun thinking about stuff like this. There are others on the board that do as well. If you don't, fine. Let us have our fun. FORWARDS: V. Filppula(33)---P. Datsyuk(38)---J. Franzen(37) G. Nyquist(27)---H. Zetterberg(36)---T. Jurco(24) T. Tatar(26)---C. Jarnkrok(25)---T. Pulkkinen(25) R. Sheahan(25)---D. Helm(30)---J. Abdelkader(30) C. Emmerton(28) J. Andersson(28) T. Holmstrom(44), T. Bertuzzi(42), D. Cleary(38), J. Hudler(33), D. Miller(33), P. Eaves(33), J. Mursak(29) ...If all these supposed "high-end talent level" prospects we've got pan out, it's going to be hard to not roll three scoring lines in the near future. Holmstrom's no longer going to be around. Bertuzzi's no longer going to be around. I'd be surprised if Hudler was resigned this off-season. Cleary's not aging well, I'd be surprised if he was still around. Miller, Eaves and Mursak could all stick, but there will be no shortage of competition. It's scary seeing Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Franzen at 38, 37 and 36 years of age. It's scary seeing all that talent on the same roster. It's scary seeing such a physically unintimidating team. DEFENSEMEN: N. Kronwall(36)---I. White(32) B. Smith(28)---K. Quincey(31) J. Kindl(30)---J. Ericsson(33) X. Oullet(23) N. Lidstrom(47), B. Stuart(37), R. Sproul(24) ...Lidstrom 'should' be gone (lol?). Stuart's gone. I think it'd be surprising if Holland let White walk (without a fight) next off-season, so I've got him listed. I think it'd be surprising if Holland let Quincey walk (after giving up a 1st) this off-season, so I've got him listed. I think it'd be surprising if Kindl was still on the team, but I've still got him listed due to the lack of prospects (it'll be interesting to see if sleepers emerge here?). In general, this is a group that could use some outside additions. GOALIES: J. Howard(33) P. Mrazek(25) T. Conklin(41), J. MacDonald(37), T. McCollum(27) ...Not much to talk about here. Conklin's gone. MacDonald's probably gone. McCollum has some serious ground to make up on Mrazek. Excited about possibly having two plus goalies on the same team though. SIGNIFICANCE? ...Well, in the next five years: -1) Proven, reliable, elite talent is going to need to either emerge from within or be acquired from outside. Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Franzen being in their late 30's in five years scares the hell out of me. -2) Some depth is probably going to need to be added to the blue line. -3) The goalie situation looks great, as things currently stand. -4) Size and strength (at all positions) is going to need to be acquired from outside, as none of it appears to be on the way.

Here we go. I'm hoping for the Kings, but I'll say Devils in 7.

Honestly...I believe that Holland being the evil genius that he is, gave up his 1st round pick for him KNOWING that all he has to do is qualify him for the exact same salary he made last and knowing he will be looking for raise, Holland planned on the 1st and 3rd pick for him coming back for him all along! (or Quincey accepts the qualification offer and Holland gets a solid #5/#6 for barely over $3M... It's amazing when you step back and look at the big picture...I feel like doob sometimes when I hate on Holland and then realize what the plan was all along! Cukoo, Cukoo!

I may have to update this tomorrow, but as it stands: Free agent defensemen: 1) Nicklas Lidstrom 2) Not Nicklas Lidstrom I just poured a drink. I don't care if I have to work tonight. It's a small one.

You know that feeling when you know for certain that the next day will not be as good as the previous one? Yeah, that.

Game One officials, Dan O'Halloran and Brad Watson. Makes me kinda glad the Wings aren't in the finals. I'd hate to see the ways that we'd get jobbed by the sheer incompetence that those two bring to the ice.

C. Chelios (55)

Think this'll make it into the next "Peggy" commercial? Peggy, OK, I need bail money What's your name? Kane, Patrick Zee hockey player? (Screenplay says sound of cell door clanking in background) Yeah Tell me, how you fall off barstool from the left side?

Too bad NHL 36 didn't follow him around for this.

I know, right? I'm just waiting for this place's eventual turn into letsgowild.com Still think Schultz would be a good pick-up but even if Lids retires, we don't get Suter, & Stewie leaves for Cali, I still don't see him in the lineup for the Wings right away. If NHL ice time is going to be the key to his signing, don't think it will be Detroit.

Privacy of sports stars? The guy couldn't have drawn more attention to himself short of holding a press conference where people watch him get hammered. It's not like someone took pictures from a party in Kane's backyard. He went to the University of Wisconsin (no idea why you go to Wisconsin to celebrate Cinco de Mayo) with custom made t-shirts for the event and made a total ass of himself. When someone pays you $6 mill a year and you're one of the faces of the franchise, like it or not you have to know that the things you do in your personal life will reflect on the organization. It's not like he needs to be going to church 5 days a week. Just don't make such a drunken spectacle of yourself. People in their 20s may not disapprove, but I bet a lot of hockey mom's would think twice about buying their kid a Kane jersey if he keeps this up.

I am happy because it is Wednesday, which among other things, is sailing day, and the forecast calls for increasing winds through the afternoon and into the evening. Happy sails to me. There's also some hockey game or something tonight. The person below me will be watching the aforementioned hockey game.

Disgusting.

It's a shame that we once had players like Bobby Orr scoring Stanley Cup winning overtime goals and now this drunken fool.

Hahaha. Nice.

D. Hasek(52)

It simply has a lot to do with goaltending imho. Staying healthy and getting hot at the right time didnt hurt either.

1. The numbers: The numbers of all our 'core' or 'star' players (including Yzerman/Shanahan/Chelios/Hull/Hasek/ect.) are and have been falling in past years save for Zetterberg. 2. IMO, there are no prospects with real star potential to replace these guys that are getting older and watching their production fall. I think Datsyuk is the closest thing to that and even he could be a bust. And even if he makes something of himself, is it going to be Sergei Fedorov something? Not likely. 3. It all starts and stops with Yzerman for me. I think his retirement (be it this year or the next) is going to be the beginning of the end of our ten year run. It always seems to me that when Stevie goes, we go. He's the leader of this team without question and it's going to be hard to compensate for the loss of him.

Until he goes to Columbus and we have to hear it 6 times a year.

As to what actually happened that weekend, it'll probably be a lot of rumors and stories with little proof. One thing is for certain though, Kane is a douchebag. I get that he's 23 and rich and having fun, but there's plenty of ways to go out and drink and have a good time without announcing to the world "I'm Patrick Kane!!" every step of the way.