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NHL Goalies all around the country and world are breathing a sigh of relief this morning. Congratulations on a fantastic career, Homer! 1206 total games played, 289 total goals, 338 total assists, 1 Gold Medal, 4 Stanley Cups, and one hell of a set of brass balls.

Shocking. In other news, the world isn't flat!

I really had high hopes that this thread would be the OP calling out Red Wings names as if he was taking roll in school, and other posters would respond as if they were the Red Wings.... and nobody would respond when OP calls Franzen's name.

All of you proposing, or suggesting, Franzen be bought out have lost your damn minds. He STILL scored 29 goals last year and led the team, on a down year, AND his cap hit is less than 4m a year... Take a look around the league at comparable contracts... Kenny would be certifiably INSANE to buy out his contract and just give him a TON of money to NOT play here... this isn't just cap space, this is real money and this is still a business... Furthermore, I GUARANTEE teams would trade for him, if for nothing more that a low draft pick (and even that is an insane suggestion) if we truly just wanted him gone, so why in the hell would we buy him out?!? Suggestions like this really make me think some people on this board have been enjoying recreational drugs WAYYYY too much...

lol ok all I could picture was Ferris Buehler's Day Off. Datsyuk Zetterberg Franzen.....Franzen.....Franzen

In the crease, outta the crease. In the crease, outta the crease. Thanks, Homer. You were a very unique player, a pleasure to watch, and an integral part of three championship teams, and your personality provided much entertainment for the fans. And thus rides into retirement the last active member of the '97, '98, '02 and '08 teams. An era has ended.

A) If you're going out, make sure you go out in style. B) He learned the first rule of performance art: Always leave 'em wanting more!

Thanks Homer! Another of the old core gone (Malts, Drapes, Mac, Ozzie)

Please don't go running back! Stand up for yourselfs and show Bettman and Fehr we won't put up with their crap any longer! Full areans will only give leadership the financial support that what they did to us was right, and we'll probably see another lockout in 8 years. This is your entertainment dollars we're talking about! Show them what they did to us was wrong!

LOL

Expected to make announcement with team presser soon, had already told team. Tomas, thank you for all the great years! Thanks for taking a beating game in/game out. Thanks for inventing your own language! http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/2013/01/red_wings_tomas_holmstrom_expe.html

The LAST of the Dynasty....God Speed, Tomas! God Speed!

Sad, but it had to happen eventually. May he the years he spent making us happy be returned to him in length and happiness many times over.

I'm seriously surprised it got done but uber-excited. I don't know what I would've done once the Football season ended.

They could also use the open roster spots so guys like Tatar, Andersson, Jarnkrok, Pulkkinen, Frk, etc. actually have a shot at making the NHL before they're 26 and washed up.

The Kings have most of their Cup winning lineup intact, though Kopitar apparently injured his knee in Sweden and will be out for a few weeks. And who knows what kind of game shape Dustin "pancakes" Penner is in.

Yeah for real, but no need to discuss that anymore because we a ALL know who's fault it was.... I joke... So happy to be watching hockey again in a few weeks, and am also eager to start digesting the hockey news coming out of the training camps. WOO HOO

Just a thought I had: I know that this is nearly impossible to get organized, but what if no fans showed up to the first home game for every team? It would get everyone's attention that the fans are the real bosses.

I like the Wings coming into this season. Dats, Z, Brunner, Flip, Smith, Nyquist, Colaiacovo, have all been playing hockey. The defense might be a little rusty, but that will be the same for about every team. I'm most worried about the goalies though, and again, that's probably the same for everyone. I'm so ******* excited to be watching hockey again soon!

Wait a second. Does this mean we actually get to discuss HOCKEY now, instead of who's fault the lockout/economic situation is? I'm confused.

Totally off-topic, but I love your signature, Kevin. Even if the league did offer people free Center Ice, I don't have cable in my room (don't even have a TV, more to the point), and the only TV in the house that does have a digital cable hook-up is for family use, so I can't commandeer it to watch hockey. That said, if I DID have cable TV.....they'd have to offer it to me for free because there's no way in hell I'm giving the NHL a dime of my money.

At least NHL should offer Center Ice for FREE for "whole" season.

Did I not say it would happen? We were all losing our minds here. Let's finally gather around the TVs, beers, and ice rinks and enjoy this great sport.

This is super awesome! Drop the puck!

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.