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Whoa whoa, check yourself friend. Yzerman is not a whiny turd because he wantedto manage a team that wasn't the Red Wings. By that standard all of Holland's and Babcock's proteges for the last several years have been whiny turds. Are you saying the RedWings have been run by whiny turds??? Yzerman was sent off with best wishes. Holland wasn't stepping aside so he, like Nill, had to go somewhere else for their career to continue to progress. I hope Steve has an illustrious GM career, whether if it's for us or not. He was raised by us and trained by us and thus I hope he continues to reflect that high standard when he's apart from us. He is the opponent now, I understand, and I want nothing more to trounce his team. But that doesn't mean I don't respect the man or his team.

Ding! Ding! Round 1!!

This sounds like an awesome tradition and I want in, so here we are: $1 for every Euro-twins goal $3 every time an announcer says "What a Datsyukian deke!" $3 for each gloves-off fight $5 for a shutout (...of the other team...) $5 for every goalie switch (between games OR mid-game) $10 for every player KRONWALL'D $15 for every period of OT played $25 for first two series wins $50 for Eastern Conference Finals win $100 for STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS

The bottom half of that picture.

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2015/04/university_of_michigan_freshma_1.html World Championships* ... Huge experience and boost for his development. Just like how Abby Captained the US Team and now he's taken another level in his game too.

I remember when Ozzy was never good enough, Hasek was a has-been, Yzerman was washed up with a bad knee, Fedorov was a money grubbing prima donna, Chelios was too old, same for Fetisov, Larionov was too frail and fragile, Shanahan was getting too soft, these new kids Zetterberg and Datsyuk weren't ever going to fill the shoes of the heroes before them. Man...those were the days.

from a friend of mine...

Why can't it be Thursday? I want to start loosing money like a drunk at a blackjack table!

You can't win a playoff series in 2 games doofus Tampa in 8

Honestly if I can say this. These might be my fav posts of the years I've been on this great great forum. Ozzy very very really really likes. Thank everyone

Just listening to the NHL network fawn all over Tampa who hasn't won a damn thing in 10 years, talking about their experience and their speed. Just amazing to me. When the Wings are down they are too old, when it's playoff time the Wings are young inexperienced, and too easy to play against. I understand they haven't set the world on fire lately, but this team is a 100 point team. Please believe that the Red Wings aren't a good hockey club. They will run right through you.

I thought you were referring to your rank and lands What's to be confused about? HAMPUS MELEN HAS BEEN NAMED TO THE NATIONAL DYLAN LARKIN TEAM!!! *fist pump*

BAN HIM *weeps softly in the corner*

I joined. I'm pleased to inform everyone that the Wings beat the Blues in the Stanley Cup finals.

Wings in 3

Nope, we'll get to Game 11+1/2 and have infinity overtimes as both teams' players just start laying in front of the net to sleep, thereby blocking all shots. You heard it here first.

It wouldn't matter if we finished 1st in the division we would still be the underdogs, that's just how it works. It's hip to hate the Red Wings now, sadly even among some of our own fans.

He's a competent 5/6 defensively but besides his speed, you don't see a lot of offensive upside to his game which is concerning at this point of his career. I think Babs makes him nervous. A guy with his skill set should be physical at least

Not one media person is picking the Wings. Screw all you negative nancy's and your fancy fantasies. Wings All The Way Brother. Now Can You Dig That Sucker. In the words of Rick Flair... WOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's the thing. For your first point, it couldn't have and hasn't happened to anyone. Zetterberg has never reached out into the play while on the bench to play the puck. Kronwall, DK, Cleary, Tatar, Andersson, or anyone else either for that matter. It wasn't a split second decision that could have happened to anyone because every other NHL player I've ever seen isn't stupid enough to think "Oh, I'm on the bench. Oh look a flying puck! I should try to grab it." It's a play a 6 year old makes. It's the equivalent of a defensive football player running off the sidelines midplay to make a tackle and thinking he'll get away with it. There's no words to describe it. It wouldn't happen to anyone else because other hockey players have the ability to think and follow the rules. And yes, the thread was made about Smith because it's not the first time he's done something utterly asinine. It's becoming a repetitive problem and it's no longer excusable. For your second two points that I bolded, I have actually been saying these things since I watched him play in GR several years ago. I gave him a small benefit of the doubt but he made 6 or 7 terrible reads and two of them ended up in the back of his net. I watched him a couple more times after that and that's been my position ever since. His play at the NHL level has only confirmed it. Also I'll say this. The ability to think the game is the most important ability a prospect can have. It's not so much about physical ability or talent because those can be taught and developed. It's about ability to make the right read and react and have it be instinctive and fast. It's why Ericsson never developed into a top 2 dman despite his physical stature. It's why Ouellet will be better than Sproul. It's why DeKeyser is better than Smith. Given their physical attributes it's no doubt that Smith should be the stronger, faster, more athletic player than DeKeyser, Ouellet or Marchenko but Dekeyser and Ouellet and probably Marchenko will all be better because they have the mental side of the game that can't be taught. Smith doesn't have it. He never has and he probably never will. "A good player plays where the puck is, a great player plays where the puck is going to be." Smith usually plays where the puck was, because he probably just turned it over.

After getting our asses handed to us in Chicago in the playoffs when they started pushing us around and we just sat their like a bunch of pansies I'm not sure how anyone can say we don't' need some toughness on the team.

I like the decision. Mrazek has winning pedigree, is coming off a good game, and if he gets hot who knows. I don't think Tampas D is as good as people seem too, but their forward depth is unbelievable. It should be a good series. Glad were rolling with the kids (Mrazek, Marchenko, Ferraro)

This is a "Can't they both get eliminated" series for me.

Why do so many people act as if we get bounced from the first round every year? Since 2007 we have only lost in the first round 2 times, its by no means the usual. Ottawa scares me, they seem like a team that cant lose. I have to wait and see who they play, but I think are going to upset one of those 3 teams. The team was great in the late 90's and early 2000's, I miss that as well. But they also spent way more then mostly everyone else, its now an even playing field (or at least to a closer degree).