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Please no. Let's try to continue not doing anything that resembles the Nashville fan base.

I fear I may lose my mind if people start blowing those damn things at the Joe.... What do you think?

I think Tootoo is very quickly going to become a fan favorite. One of those guys you love on your team but hate to play against.

I'd like to see Al Sobotka grab a beluga whale by the tail and swing it around.

Too much alcohol will make some people do really, really, stupid things. You want originality? Throw out a beluga whale.

I wouldn't go back. There's more money for them there, they're at home, no lockouts and best of all no Bettman. Their contracts have already been broken, he's not breaking anything.

How about beer prices cut in half so that the price for one 24 oz brew costs slightly less than the cost of an average six pack?

So to toot or no to toot is the question? I say if Tootoo brings reason to toot, then toot we shall, for Tootoo.

I will be boycotting live games for at least 2 years and will not buy NHL merchandise either.

Well, that is just not fact. For every one of those Canadian born players, the an every much as good American born player. I am not arguing the quality of Canadian born players, but the American are becoming just as good and are proving it in the ranks year after year. Russian's and Swede's as well. The #1 CSS prospect is Canadian and #2 is American (highest ranking Defenseman) so these programs are on par. I would say the only reason you have more Canadian's today making a big splash is that it's a Nationwide love of hockey and that is what they look forward to playing. In America, it's a regional thing. Again, for every GTA player you listed, there is an equally as good player in the Minnesota/Wisconsin/Michigan/Boston area as well as Russian and Swede.

Seriously, the fans will return. The hockey fan is one of the most loyal fans out there. I am a hockey fan, but I am speaking with my wallet. I have typically spent around $1500 a year on NHL tickets, merchandise, NHL center ice package, transportation, food, and so on. Now, I am not going to attend a NHL hockey game for the next 2-3 years. I will watch and support the Wings on TV. I will attend bars and restaurants around the area and spend my money there to support the community. I will not spend a dime on NHL merchandise or tickets though. What can the NHL do for the fans? Make Gamecenter Live for free for next season. Have NHL clubs drop ticket prices by 20% across the board. Those would be signs that the NHL cares about the fanbase.

The only way those whistles will make the atmosphere festive is the applause generated by someone pummeling whoever is blowing said whistles.

Oh good grief... get off the cattle thing already. I think Datsyuk is smart enough to understand the context of Jimmy D's comments and not hold a personal grudge. I would hold it against Dats if he stayed in Russia; he signed a contract and he would be severely letting down the Red Wings organization who has given him so much.

New GDT format for this year. You guys will like it.

I swear if we are going to lose Pasha because of this lockout, I'd be done with this poor excuse of af a national hockey league. Kovy mentioned before he wouldn't accept a paycut and why should he? He has signed the contract in good faith if others can break contracts, so can he. Devils offense will be pretty much non existent there guys are going to be Zubrus, Elias and Clarksson, Marty 1 year older and financial trouble hardly something to look forward.

"Ask not what the NHL can do for you, but what you can do for the NHL" Gary Bettman

1. Free Center Ice 2. Remove the instigator rule These are demands, not requests. Pretty simple. Neither of them will happen, so I'll just go ahead and say right now that the NHL won't get another penny from my pocket. No merchandise, no Center Ice, no tickets. This is coming from someone who has bought Center Ice year after year and owns multiple jerseys, countless shirts, hats, and tons of other merchandise (Bobbleheads, banners, you name it).

Canadians just want to be the best at the one thing they know how to do.

In 1994-95 (48 game season), the league leader had 32 goals.

This is all well and good but still doesn't excuse the fact you shouldn't act like Canada is the only place in the world hockey should be played and the teams in Canada are the only ones that should ever win anything.

I'm not sure why labels matter when we all know exactly what type of players our guys are. Labels are used to easily categorize, but we're already acquainted with the play style of a guy like Franzen. Unfortunately, there's Franzen the power forward sniper, which is what he is when he wants to skate and play hard. Then there's Franzen the slow dangler who looks for the perfect shot, who is neither sniper nor power forward when he floats.

I'd be OK with Pav and Hank as long as long as they finish here and don't do something crazy in the last few years. I don't think we should hold every single player to the standards of Stevie or Nick. They built their legacy partly because the team when they showed up wasn't as good as it is now. And since we're so good, we can afford the opportunity to let our best players ripen so to speak in Grand Rapids, or wherever. We don't have to shoe-horn them in at 18 or 19 years old and won't even if they are ready. Add to that, our playing style is less about individual points and attributes and more about the team. Which makes it almost impossible to have a Stevie kind of career. It's more a testament to how our team has been built for the past decade or so. I think Pav and Hank should go up, and if we have 7 or 8 names, whatever, we've been stacked and this would just be proof of it. What if in the next 20 years we're mediocre? For a good period of time? We're understandably worried about cheapening the honor of going up at the Joe but maybe we should look at the forest a few more feet away from the trees. We could have 8 names in the next 5 years or so but it could stay at 8 for the next 30. We've been pretty lucky as fans to even get to have this conversation.

As a counterpoint... What the NHL will do for fans. Jack & squat.

Are you high?! Smith and Fil for a dman that can't play top 10 D? I'd want a better dman than yandle for that package. Then you deal essentially 2 firsts and bert for one year of selanne? thats ridiculous. I agree we need a dman. But trading our best d prospect isn't the answer to fixing our d long term. If we could get another top 4 dman and let almquist, ouellet, sproul develop we will be in a good position 3-4 years from now. We will be bringing in guys like Tatar, Jarnkrok, and Pulkkinen in the next season or two. Consider moving some aging forwards out of the lineup in trades etc. - likely for more picks to refill the cupboard after. The way to win a cup is to have some stars in their prime and a bunch of talented youngsters on rookie contracts to squeeze under the cap. THAT is how its done in today's NHL.

Really it should be halfway in & halfway out.