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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/11/2014 in all areas

  1. 2 points
    This was the summer after the "Goose Loonies" incident in Edmonton, which--according to a story about it I read a few months ago--crushed Demers. He felt betrayed by a handful of his players and had wanted to bench the guys who were out drinking past curfew, but didn't want to handicap the rest of the team. Looking back at that roster and putting together a similar or slightly-better package, here's what I can come up with: (Please note, I have no idea who was a free agent that summer!) To Detroit: -C Wayne Gretzky -D/W Marty McSorley -C Mike Krushelnyski Same package as offered to Los Angeles. To Edmonton: -C Adam Oates -F Petr Klima -1st round picks in '89, '91, '93 -$20M cash Comparable deal to LA's, but Detroit gives Edmonton some more experienced players in Oates and Klima. Oates really began to blossom in 1987-88, scoring 14-40--54 in 63 games. Of course, Oates didn't score goals like Carson did, but "Oates and Kurri" would probably have been just as good--if not better--than "Hull and Oates". Or at least it would have been a spicy breakfast! Klima, while very talented, was a discipline problem (and supposedly the reason the Wings passed on Jagr in 1990) and was one of the ringleaders of the curfew-breaking crew. I upped the cash to $20 to compensate Edmonton for taking on 2 older, more expensive players than Carson and Gelinas, who were 18 and 20 (and cheap) at the time of the trade. Impact: Los Angeles continues to toil in the lower half of the Smythe Division with Winnipeg and Vancouver. Edmonton does not experience the fall-off in '88-'89 that they did after trading with LA. With a top 8 forward group of Kurri, Oates, Messier, Tikkanen, Simpson, Klima, Anderson, and MacTavish, they can roll out 2 high-scoring lines and a very solid 3rd line. Rather than losing to Gretzky's Kings in the first round, they contend with Calgary for the Smythe championship, possibly Detroit for the Campbell championship, and possibly win another Stanley Cup. Over the next several seasons, this trade would have made Edmonton stronger than the LA trade did. Detroit ends up with 2 of the top 3 centers in the league for '88-'89, along with Gallant, MacLean, Krushelnyski, Barr, and Burr. In real life, Yzerman had his career-best year playing mostly with Gallant and MacLean this season. Having Gretzky on his team--and maybe his line--could have made that even better. McSorley would have been a great third "Bruise Brother", especially considering Probert missed most of this season and didn't produce much when he did play. It sure would have been an intimidating lineup to play against! The Wings did finish first in the Norris that year, but with 80 points in 80 games, wouldn't have finished higher than 4th in any other division and were upset in the first round by a brutal Chicago team, who wouldn't have even come close to making the playoffs in any other division. With Gretzky, Krushelnyski, and McSorley, the Wings fare better in the regular season and at least get by Chicago and St Louis before bowing out to Edmonton or Calgary in the Campbell final. Over the next several seasons, the Wings are stronger with this trade than without, for several reasons. 1, Gretzky (duh). 2, it saves them from making a couple bad trades in the upcoming seasons--the Oates/MacLean for Federko/McKegney DEBACLE, and the Klima/Murphy/Graves/Sharples for Carson/McClelland deal. Gretzky may have wanted to go to LA after a few years here, but the Wings would still have been able to get a nice package for him. Graves might have been a long-time Wing, not Ranger. Bottom line, if they were able to pull off this trade, I think the Wings would have ended up winning a Cup sooner than '97... maybe they would have gotten one or two in the '90-'93 window.
  2. 2 points
    Copenhagen848

    Greatest Wings game ever

    March 26, 1997. The most exciting sporting event I've ever watched. I can't imagine a game ever topping that one for me. My wife got me the "Sweet Revenge" poster framed and signed by McCarty for me as a wedding present.
  3. 1 point
    http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/detroit/index.ssf/2014/07/new_detroit_red_wings_arena_en.html
  4. 1 point
    Jesus, can you imagine? "I tried to reach [Detroit Red Wings owner] Mike Ilitch, because I knew Wayne would have loved to go to Detroit," Pocklington said. "But it was basically done so quickly, and that was it. There was never a bidding war. There probably should have been, looking back." Interesting read to say the least. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=679887
  5. 1 point
    wings4thecup06

    Greatest Wings game ever

    Hockey withdrawal symptoms have reached a point of catastrophy. To alleviate these symptoms I'm watching the entire 97 cup run and will spend most of September watching the 98 run also. This got me thinking. If you could name one Wings game that you saw that was in your opinion the greatest game you've ever seen, what would it be? For me it's game 6 2002 WCF vs the Avalanche because it just demonstrated just how dominant Hasek really was and Roy's gaffe was such a beautiful moment. Even better that it virtually cost the Avs another shot at the cup. I just remember being so elated with joy after seeing us stick it to Colorado. That series and that rivalry had so much passion and intensity and I can still hear Gary Thorne's voice as Shanny put the puck past a showboating Roy. What about anyone else?
  6. 1 point
    So the Jarnkrok hype was actually a brilliant smokescreen to protect the preferred prospects? I can see it now if Jarnkrok ends up a bust - Ken Holland lights up a cigar, and in his best George Peppard voice cackles "I love it when a plan comes together!"
  7. 1 point
    I figure if they were able to hold on to Lucky Luc, Detroit should have been able to keep Yzerman. But that still doesn't answer the question...
  8. 1 point
    kliq

    Predictions for the DRW 2014-15 Season!

    I don't think necessarily means anything, I think the reason for each missed UFA is purely situational. I think GM's sometimes get way to much credit when they attract a free agent, and at the same time get way to much crap when they don't get a free agent. There are a variety of things that a player looks at when deciding where to play, in no particular order: family, climate, skill set of team, money, the way a team treats its players, just to name a few. While there very well could be some players that went elsewhere because they thought another team had a brighter future then the Wings, I don't think we should take this as an alarming sign. Suter is a perfect example, he wanted to live closer to his wife's family, and unless Holland threw a dollar amount at him he simply couldn't refuse (thank our luck stars he didnt), he wasn't coming here........For the record, nothing against Suter, I just don't want a guy under contract for 14 years at 7mil+ cap hit.
  9. 1 point
    Salviaman

    Greatest Wings game ever

    4/02/2011
  10. 1 point
    number9

    Marchenko

    Jiri Fischer is the new Morgan Freeman Marchenko is the new Fetisov Hampus Melen is the new Hampus Melen
  11. 1 point
    Dabura

    Predictions for the DRW 2014-15 Season!

    A minor thing I just wanted to clear up: when I say "basement" I mean bottom of the conference. That we could slide that far down is pretty much a non-possibility, IMO. Here's a decent piece which, I think, sort of echoes the point I and others are making about the Wings' "five year drought": Road to Recovery: How the Sharks are Rebuilding [The Hockey Writers]
  12. 1 point
    The entertainment center (whatever that ends up being) is being built in a great place. Just on the other side of the freeway, it will be able to expand downtown into a currently blighted area, and just about connect the gap between downtown and midtown, which would make that entire stretch of Woodward healthy and thriving. Gilbert has been buying up tons of blighted real estate with his own projects of revitalization in mind, and it finally looks like Detroit has a competent mayor in Duggan, and he's already done a ton for the city in his short time in office. Detroit has been taking it on the chin for years, but we are on our way back up, and there are several dedicated parties looking to make sure these visions are met. Edit, the post I responded to has been deleted, which makes my post seem kinda random. Anyway, I'm excited about hearing what the details will be about this arena (and entertainment complex), and what it means for the area in general.