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This garbage about Howard is ridiculous....Cougar makes one negative comment about him and now everyone is second guessing him. Come on now, you've all watched him play and all know how good he is. Easily one of the top 10 starters in the league....And his price is even better to look at than his numbers! Howard is not suddenly going to tank because Lidstrom is gone and our D is weaker than normal (right now), if anything Howard has been getting better with each season. He'll be great between the pipes this year, as always.

The ultimate hit on the ultimate douchebag...

Chris Neil crushes Boychuk, one of the hardest i've seen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOnXZpPwkoU I love this thread

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OapU3KGYiB4

The DRW are asking fans to vote on who they would like to see a bobblehead of. They are going to release 6 this season of former Red Wing greats. Take a wild guess as to who I voted for. Vote here.

Well, since it's the offseason and we're all presently a bit bored, I figured we ought to turn to an always-fun topic: hits! Post one of your favorites. Please don't post more than one, as we're likely to get major overlap otherwise. Here's one of my favorites: I love how you can actually hear the "bump" as they come together... and Morrow, despite being the hitter, gets propelled a few feet backward from the hit.

Here we go again! I want him to address the team's needs as they arise, not wait until all of them have to be addressed in one offseason. Do the best GMs in the league do that? Wait til the last minute to address a buttload of needs when some of them have been obvious for years? Come now. Your relentless defense of everything Holland does (or does not do) is pathetic. He's a good GM but he has not put this team in the best position possible as you say. esteef

You are correct it does not have to do with the third line, but either do some of your posts. So I took off my redwings glasses and said that the Nucks, Hawks, Pens have a better top 6 then us and you replied with "pessimism is annoying". What I said was not an attack at our GM. Please explain to me how by me saying that thoes teams have a better top six I am being a pessimsit and explain how my "panties are in a bunch" because you just pretty much acted like the common ****** bag who doesnt back up what they say and just calls people stupid

What about a second-tier type of honor like I believe Montreal and Toronto have for players? A ring of honor or something like that. Players like Fedorov, Osgood, Red Kelly, Black Jack Stewart, Vladimir Konstantinov, Larry Aurie (if they don't re-retire it), maybe Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, John Ogrodnock, Mickey Redmond, etc. could get that recognition.

other then the fact that all three of thoes teams have a way better top 6

Now I'm a little young to remember Osgood's years, but how often was he well within the top 6 for GAA/SV%. I agree about not calling Howard elite, but he provides more than solid goaltending I would say, he was 3rd in GAA and 7th in SV% last season. He's the 28th highest paid goalie, and well within the top 10 for performance. Sure it's great value, but are Vezina candidates the only goalies that provide more than solid?

Yep sure did not sure why you want to rag on your vezina runner up goaltender just to fit your argument, but I enjoy the 4 million difference in salary and 6 years in age between the two. Backstrom also played in the Jacques Lemaire system(You know that neutral zone trap) for his first 3 or 4 seasons. Howard's "eliteness", never came from me the career statistics just show even with a terrible second year that he's in the conversation of top the top tier behind Lundqvist/Quick, do I think he's in with those two yet? No, but I think he's on the brink of it . He's had elite streches, and his first, and second season he was pretty solidly in the top 6 statistically with other goalies playing 50+ games.

Golden rule: don't feed the trolls (quote, reply, pm....) and they're gone as quick as possible. Anyhow just wanted to mention something: Ray Shero (Penguins GM) what has he done this offseason? despite the Staaltrade nothing Chiarelli (Bruins GM) less than both Poile (Predators GM) resigned his starplayer other than that? Lombardi (stanleycup winning team GM) brought back the whole team again So the top 5 GMs haven't done any ridiculous overspending on non-eliteplayers, did all these teams lose their motio or maybe just maybe, spending for the sake of spending with an uncertain CBA is not the best way to handle a franchise longterm?

"The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review And Timing Association" - Jan and Dean.

Hey, if these rumor starters are a bunch of liars, at least we get the benefit of having something to discuss... however frivolous.

Howard is better than Backstrom in every conceivable way 2/3 past seasons. top 6 in GAA/SV% his first year, and 6th in SV% and 3rd in GAA in goalies playing 50 games. If anything he's underrated considering people still want to grant the Wings are an elite defensive club, when they led the lead in playoffs in odd man rushes against(22 to 4 in the series). What good team's are you referring to? LA? Well Kronwall put up 5 more goals and had the same points as the 7 million dollar top pairing guy 24 minute guy for the Stanley Cup winning team. To put it in perspective Kronwall was 4th in the entire league in goals for defenseman, all while bring very good skating/puck moving ability and a dominate physical edge which the likes of other top defenseman wanes. And yes throw out Filpulla's best year where he matched Patrick Kane, beat Couture, Bergeron, Getzlaf, Stastsny, Plekanec, Lecavalier, Staal. Even if he regresses back to 40 points he'd still be will with in the top 50 in centers, all while giving you very good defensive presence. Not to mention the fact that he started playing 2 minutes more a game last year, and gained close to 50 more minutes of powerplay time compared to the year before, no that couldn't help him produce more points at all you are right, Hudler, 50 point guy, puts him in the top 100 for forwards, which is easily fits him into the top 6. More points than Ladd, J.Staal, Doan, Simmonds, Kesler, Lecavlier, Voracek, Breire, Smyth, Clower, Skinner, which are pretty clear top 6 forward. Quincey I'll give you the question is still out, however he has proved that he can put up a .7 ppg throughout a season before, which would put him easily in the top 10 for defenseman. As it stands with his 26 points, he's still in the top 60 that puts him as a top 4, albeit a bottom tier one.

If there are rumors of a big trade, you can be sure that the usual suspects (TSN et al) will be all over it. If you're hearing a rumor only from the likes of hockeyy insiderr and his re-tweeters, then it's almost certainly BS.

That really depends the on the price. And I believe Suter is worth every cent of that contract, he's been the best defenseman free agent in a couple years.

Oh God, where do I start? LOL You're a stats guy,I get it. I go by what I see. If a player goes up the ice and deques through the entire team and then passes puck off to a teammate to score in the empty net then you would give credit to the goal scorer. As well as Yzerman played (on 1 leg) in that '02 playoff run, he was nowhere near the force Fedorov was. Offensively or defensively. He just wasn't. He was limited with the injury he had. Fortunately, the Wings had the luxury of having Fedorov to pick up the slack. Holmstrom was better than Fedorov in the Cup run...LMAO. Wow. Are you listening to yourself? Fedorov did carry the team many times over many years. As much as I love Steve Yzerman, he wasn't perfect. He had bad games too. There were times I wondered where he was or why he wasn't as effective as he should have been. But that's hockey. You can't be the best all the time. I mean Lidstrom was close though. 97, 98 and 2002 Fedorov DID carry this team. You just have to go back to the games and watch them and take your Sergei hatred blinders off. I still recall that OT goal in 98 against the Caps. How many players could have scored that goal? It was awesome. That was just one example. Your player list of guys like Palffy, Whitney, Kariya, Selanne, Bondra, Nolan, etc are ALL wingers. Feds was a CENTRE. In replacing Feds, the Wings would have had to acquire a centre. You still have not answered my question. Likely because you can't. WHO would the Wings have been able to replace Feds with at the centre position? If he was so invaluable to the team as you allude to, should it have not been easy to do? In your fictional Fantasy Land, who is this player? Even if there was a player, could the Wings have been able to trade for him? You really think Keitch Tkachuk, a guy who never even played in a Cup Final would have been able to replace Fedorov? Give me a break guy. Doug Weight and Vinny Damphosse? Do you even watch hockey? LOL You only look at offensive numbers to support your biased and flawed argument. Lidstrom was our best dman after Vladdy could not play anymore. Fedorov was our 2nd best defensive player. There are no stats to measure defensive dominance. Even the plus minus stat is a flawed one for a variety of reasons and most coaches and GMs agree with this. It is not wihout merit though. If anything, Fedorov's presence made all other players on the team better. He drew the best lines. Yzerman could play on the 2nd line, Larionov could centre a 3rd line. Or Yzerman could play with Feds and be better utilized. A great player is measured by how he impacts the game and the players around him. Fedorov did that for a number of years. His career speaks for itself. As for stats, Feds played an exceptional 2 way game. He sacrificed stats for the betterment of the team. Just like Yzerman had to learn how to be a complete player at both ends of the ice when Bowman came, so too did Fedorov. Feds could have been on a run and gun team in his prime and put up god like stats. But the Wings demanded its scorers be defensively responsible. Bowman rolled 4 lines and wore opponents down. Feds did not get the same ice time like Lindros was. Or Gretzky and Lemieux in their primes. The 80s were far different than the 90s. The game had changed big time by then. It's apples and oranges. Yzerman had better stats because he dominated in an era where defense was not played until the playoffs. It isn't his fault. Yzerman was as dominant as anyone except for Gretzky, Messier and Lemieux. However in the 90s, Feds was just as dominant in a way in which you can not measure by stats alone. Mike Gartner scored over 700 goals in his career. So why did Neil Smith trade him to the Leafs for Glenn Anderson in 1994? Because he knew whan Anderson could add to his Rangers that Gartner could not. However, in your mesure, Gartner was the better player because he scored more goals. Anyone who followed hockey in the 80s knows Anderson was a better player and a more clutch player and a much better playoff player. This is just one example why stats guys don't get too far in hockey arguments. Your Edmonton reference makes no sense to me. The only reason why Feds does not have his #91 retired in the Joe's rafters is based on one thing. He and Illitch had a falling out. Period. Was Sergei partly to blame for that? Yes, I believe he is. However it has nothing to do with his career as a Red Wing. His career will always speak for itself. Whether you like him or you didni't like him is moot. He was one of the greatest Red Wings of all time and nothing you or anyone else says will ever take away from that.

The only reason any of his stuff seems at all accurate is on the off chance he gets one right he relentlessly tweets about it bragging about how he was right and how he beat "main stream media" to the punch about it.. so you end up hearing about it way more when he is right.. and then when he is wrong he makes up some ridiculous story like the Wings being furious about Suter breaking that so called "verbal agreement" or Crosby being "irate" when Parise broke that same "verbal agreement" with the Pens.. Most of his stuff is generic.. he knows the Wings want a d-man and have interest in Yandle so why not put it out there as your own info, then if the trade happens he can gloat about how he had it the info weeks in advance and if no trade happens he can just say "negotiations fell apart" or some other BS.. The other thing is, if he really worked for all of these teams and has "sources" high up in seemlingly every team, there would be no way that he could keep his identity a secret..

Eklund 2.0 in my opinion. Throw enough s*** at the wall & see what sticks.

IIRC, Ted Lindsay didn't leave on the best of terms either. In fact, he didn't want to have anything to do with the Wings for decades after retirement and reconciled only relatively recently. So if Fedorov's jersey deserves to hang on the rafters otherwise, the way he left shouldn't have to be a disqualifying factor.