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I came for the meltdown. *grabs Popcorn*

BOS post in 5, 4, 3, 2...

This seems to be the new trend/style in coaching. The Jon Cooper buddy buddy system. Instead of the old school, no BS, Babs/Scotty way... you show the players respect, come down to their level, work with them, hold their hands, zip up their dresses for them, wipe their bottoms, and braid their hair for them.

That's what stood out to me - "him and us". Seems pretty clear that the room was tired of Babcock - probably years of minor issues that built up. Guys going to Z or other leaders on the team with their issues. The majority of the players who have been asked about the coaching change mention, in one form or another, about how Blashill treats them with respect/builds good relationships. Seems like an indirect way of saying that Babcock s*** on some of the players during his time in Detroit. And for the record, I welcome the coaching change. I'm looking forward to seeing what Blashill does with this group. I'm hoping that he allows some of the younger guys to flex their muscles, offensively. I just know that some of the structure he uses is similar to Babs'. I'm just hesitant to get too excited, only to see more of the same.

The players got tired of Babcock's message years ago. A fresh start was needed by both sides.

Well then where did they come from?

It's fun for the kids. I just wish someone would have locked Putin in the penalty box, he's got no business out there. I've seen videos on russian tv where they praise Putin's offensive ability. Even when you can clearly see everyone getting out of the way and letting him score. It's like letting a child win, so his feelings aren't hurt. Or in this case so they aren't sent to Siberia to teach hockey to polar bears.

If he threw the game he would of showed weakness to other super powers of the world

Think of it this way. Vladamir Putin is the Vince McMahon of an entire country. One of the biggest and most powerful countries on earth actually. Awesome.

But what about Emdog?

And it brought them to the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Time for some Red Wings to look pretty.

It is.Hes not funny at all.

I don't know what percentage of the MLSE deal would come from the Leafs...but it's the majority and don't forget that the value of MLSE was closer to $1.8B as it wasn't 100% of the company that sold. The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan sold its interest to Bell and Rogers (Larry T didn't sell his interest, he actually increased it slightly).

No it's a straight up message check out the interview video. Maybe Z sucked in the playoffs because the "best coach in all of hockey" was too stale to play for. Cool fact - Steve Yzerman had only 4 assists in 8 playoff games and a -4 rating in the 2000 playoffs. That was his version of "not playing like a captain in the playoffs". Funny thing is he also lead the regular season in points just like Z did. It happens. Even to the guys in your avatar.

It's like my own personal diary in this forum tonight. Dear Diary, Sometimes I just want to watch the world burn. Whilst giving butt pats. Love, BoS

Other than the curse filter bringing me down, I think the mods here are fine. Every post I've had deleted has probably deserved to be, and I'm usually given pretty good leeway to make off-topic ridiculous posts I like to think it's because the mods have developed an appreciation for my offbeat and irreverent humor the way one tolerates a younger sibling.

I completely agree. It was Stevie's team, and it should have been. I'm not suggesting that Fedorov should have been made captain or anything. I'm just saying that when you're already "the guy" on a team, wanting to be recognized as such may make you narcissistic or egotistical, but it sure doesn't make you entitled. Fedorov earned everything he ever got in hockey by doing what was asked of him (which was significantly more than what was asked of just about any other Wings...except maybe Lidstrom), and doing it better than anyone else. Entitled is when you want the payoff without having to do the work. Fedorov did work son!

Just to play devils advocate though, wouldn't that make him selfish if not entitled then? There's times where I feel like Zetterberg plays in Datsyuk's shadows but you don't see him whining about it. At the end of the day people loved Yzerman, but they sure loved Fedorov too. Scotty loved the guy. It's hard when you're the best player in your prime but you have a captain on the team that's a world class player who is basically leaving his prime. Yzerman was that popular Canadian y'know?

I never understood that whole contract demands = entitlement argument. He didn't hold out for more money. He wanted to leave because he was tired of playing second fiddle on Yzerman's team. He wanted to be a leader, he wanted to be "the guy" on a team. And he was quite clearly capable of being that. He was, after all, the best player on earth. Being the best, wanting to be recognized as the best, and wanting to prove it by carrying your own team, doesn't scream "entitlement" to me. It seems like the exact opposite. IMO he would have been entitled if he chased big money while riding Yzerman, and Shanahan, and Hull, and Lidstrom's coattails. When he first came into the league, Crosby was entitled. He hadn't earned anything, and wanted the benefit of the doubt all the time. In his mind, he was a star when he was still a rookie. Fedorov was never, ever, that way. Like I said before, he worked his way to the top and left because he could never be recognized for it on Yzerman's team.

Continuation of possible meet up here.

Can't believe what some of you are saying. Being a Cup contender every year was awesome. Just don't forget, we weren't exactly winning it every year. Teams like Colorado, New Jersey, Dallas and Philadelphia were perennial contenders as well. There was only one Cup to go around. It was very competitive. Rebuilding mode is only fun for video games when you're doing GM mode.

I read in the Malik Report that he has a lion tattoo that inspired the mask. Here's the link from In-Goal magazine that George posted. http://ingoalmag.com/masks/howard-ready-to-roar-in-awesome-lion-mask/ If they put lions on Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Kronwall, and Green's helmets will that turn the power play into Voltron? Or is Jimmy trying to channel his inner Lion-O? (Sorry for the old '80's cartoon references, I haven't had my coffee yet today).

I may be in the minority, but I actually think the recent rebuilding years 2003-2006 and 2011-Present, are far more interesting than the contending years. There's more to think about, talk about, speculate about, and (quite frankly) ***** about. Watching your team win the Cup is awesome, but I don't want to see it every year. Or even be a real possibility every year. Sometimes you have to struggle a little bit in order to work through it and know what optimism feels like. IMO being a fan of a super team is lazy. And boring. Which isn't to say that I want our team to be the Chicago Cubs of hockey. But I don't want us to be the Yankees either. If you choices each season are A) compete for the championship, or B) be disappointed, then you're missing out on a ton of awesome fan experiences.