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Nhl negotiations are like a drinking game; 1. you make up the rules as you go along 2. most times before you can seal a deal someone gets fed up and goes home 3. you end up regretting it, someone loses all their money, and the game gets ruined for everyone 4. and you do it all again next weekend forgetting what happened the last time you did it...

I personally think its unreasonable that a skilled negotiator like Fehr feels that he should be getting a better deal, so he throws the "mediators" trump card out there in order to delay the negotiations. A skilled and good negotiatior would get in there and negotiate, not stall. If the NHL denies his request, then he can come out to the press and pontificate like he has done through this entire process. There is no excuse for either side in this debacle of a negotiation.

either that or it's a stall tactic by fehr. neither one would surprise me

Sounds like another patented "Donald Fehr stall tactic" to me. He has done a great job at this for the last 5 months. Also reports that Backes has left the negotiations.

My opinion of Kenny has indeed change...usually he comes up with excuse after excuse and his over usage of the term "kicked the tires" and "we need to get bigger" followed up by not getting anyone and drafting small euro's was enough for me to punch the monitor more than once every trade deadline/draft day/UFA season.... ....BUT This season, starting on draft day: Martin Frk - 6'0 193lbs Andreas Anthanasiou - 6'0 179lbs Mike McKee - 6'4 232lbs James DeHaas - 6'2 193lbs Rasmus Bodin - 6'6 207lbs ...and these are all kids! They will grow AND gain weight! UFA: Was deep in the hunt for and offered the same if not very similar contracts to Justin Shultz, Ryan Suter, Zach Parise and while waiting he addressed needs up front like grit, Tootoo, better scoring and defensive play in Sammy, signed the real deal back up in Gustavsson, locked up Helm and Abby for years. He solidified the #6 defense spot with Colaiacovo along with taking a gamble on Quincey and a European phenom in Brunner....he was on the final lists for a lot of players including Suter, Semin & Doan...he offered contracts to all of them. He had a verbal agreement with Suter only to be nixed by Suter's family, a decision Suter will soon regret, if not already. He FINALLY got off the Hudler merry go round and cut ties with him...PLUS he was in deep in trade talks for Bobby Ryan, Keith Yandle and Rick Nash. I'd say ya, my opionion change, for once in a long time I wanted to punch the UFA's for choosing somewhere else instead of punching Holland for not doing anything...now all he needs to do is admit he made a mistake signing Franzen and letting Hossa walk and all will be right in the world! (of course with the exception of this lockout debacle...) Holland made me proud to be a Wings fan this summer (as if I wasnt already) and with the prospects coming up, along with that draft class, things look great! I hope he gets Dan DeKeyser under contract to spring and I still wish he had gotten Jeremy Welsh (oh well.) But my opinion is MUCH MUCH better than it has been the last few seasons! Not only is Tootoo a better player than Emmy....he is the best thing we have had to an enforcer since Aaron Downey. Sammy is bette than Hudler.....Brunner will be great....Tootoo is better than Emmy...unfortunately two guys have to go and those two will come from these four: Emmerton, Mursak, Miller, Eaves. I see Emmerton and Mursak bringing more in return in the form of draft picks than Miller/Eaves and with the plethora of young BETTER talent in the wings, Mursak and Emmerton are VERY expendable... Yes, for a season, the Wings get a tad older, but they get much better...Way to go Holland!

No...thats a terrible arguement and completely erroneous. What one player did in one series for ANOTHER team is irrelevant to what a player on THIS team in this series. We assume he was benched..... but he could have had an injury or a hundred other things. Do you really believe if Helm or Eaves were healthy, Emmerton sees icetime? LOL Arguing with someone like you is pointless because AGAIN ( pushing the echo button) We, the fans have no idea why tootoo wasnt on the ice and its like comparing appes and banana. Tootoo is a BETTER player than Emmerton, every single day Nuff said

lmao it's up to you... I'm just your little bald yes man Jacobs

This explains why I couldn't find a "2013 Mayan Calendar" at calendars dot com.

He's too busy working as a cast member on the new Hobbit movie to supply actual information

The two biggest dicks rejoin the negotiations after much progress was made without them. Color me shocked. Sometimes I wonder why some people are behind the owners or players in this debacle. We remove the cancer that is Bettman and Fehr, and progress is made. Those two come back in the room, and that should worry everyone.

I can't help but wonder is for some reason Mr I doesn't make it to see the Grand Opening that it would very appropriate to name it after him..... The Illitch Centre of Entertainment Arena sounds nice.... or affectionately the The I.C.E Arena...

If you can't even give back some actual feedback, or atleast add some actual credibility to your comments, I find no use in supplying you with actual knowledge. You're like talking to a wall, that responds in the form of a 5 year old.

Wee update. Drew is 13+12 in 16 games including a four goal game last night against Fife.

I can see the headlines "The wonder boy does it again! Sidney Crosby not only can play hockey like a God, but he can also save an nhl season. On a side note during celebrations the other 17 players lifted him up in celebration, and he fell to the floor getting a concussion and will be out 1-2 seasons..."

@NormanJamesCTV: Forbes just valued the podium ahead of 15 NHL franchises Da Flobz ‏@DaFlobz #PodiumWatch Breaking News: Bruins had a third 1st round pick from Leafs, Draft #NHLPodium as franchise goalie. OMG!! RT @Kesler_84: Tim Thomas is "taking a year off" because the podium is a democrat.... And black... Adam Rickert ‏@adam_rickert #podiumwatch Patrick Kane just beat up the podium over 60 cents Christopher Tremblay ‏@TremzLightyear Breaking news: Pk Subban has walked near #NHLPodium and fell backwards after 0 contact, #NHLPodium penalized for boarding#PodiumWatch Jamie Kellner ‏@jbk_ltd RT @_TyAnderson: BREAKING: With a glass of water on it, Podium now has more Cups than the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres. #podiumwatch Michelle Lewis ‏@ChiquitaBlndita Have prayers in to @HockeyTheGods &@Hockey_Jesus and sent a Swiffer duster to NHL Podium.

I'm at a complete loss for words..thats one of the stupidest things I've ever heard.

I always loved how Holmstrom had the spring effect when getting cross checked... undoubtedly helped save his back somewhat and prolong his career. Instead of trying to stand firm against the cross check he would just roll with it and spring back into place... probably pissed off the aggressor even more. lol What a champ... I still fume a bit when I think about how rule changes really blunted his game the last 3-4 years... specifically the non-sense goalie interference calls made when the goalie initiated contact outside of the crease.... grrrrrrrr The wings should make a one time Holmstrom award and have a whole game dedicated to it. The award would be for all the goals he deserved that got called off... they could play a montage of examples on the big screen and for the TV audience.... and just for the sake of fun they should jokingly display his actual goals next to an estimation of deserved goals. I dream.

Jordin Tootoo; Cory Emmerton; First thing I see when I look at this, wow look at that they play for two completely different teams. This apparently went far over your head, as you tried comparing and making an argument that concerned two different franchises, two different rosters, and two different general managers and coaches. Somehow, you think you can argue if one player doesn't play for one roster.. he magically automatically couldn't play for another roster. I'm not even sure what the hell you were trying to get across there, but it was plain dumb. Now, back to this point you were trying to get across? I see 71 games played from the next all-star formerly known as Dany Heatly... I mean Cory Emmerton with a productive season gaining 10 points (6G/4A). Now, I look at Mr.Tootoo whom apparently shouldn't have any recorded stats because he didn't play for the Nashville Predators. He has in a recorded 77 games, a productive point total of 30 points (6G/24A). Well my friend, i'm certainly not a resident expert of math, nor do I wish to be one, but I sure as hell know that Mr.Tootoo dished over 20 more assist than Mr.Emmerton and got the same amount of goals. So somehow, we require yet again another left handed shot, a basic 4th liner whom would've went down to the minors if it wasn't for losing him to waivers, because he "does his role." I'm sorry, but I just can't see how you could ever argue Emmerton's worth over Tootoo's at this point and time in the franchise. We need a rough and tough banger, we need more right handed shots, we don't NEED more passers but he can bring more than Emmerton can, and we need someone who will stink eye someone if they try and pull some s*** with our top 6. Maybe Emmerton will develop into something... but he's already 24 and showing no drastic worth. In forward terms, he should be in his prime or damn near it.

Sort of like when Gretzky retired & the NHL painted 99 behind the goals, when Homer finally hangs them up the Wings should at least play a game with 96 painted in front of the crease to honor him.