GoWings1905

Obviously the Red Wings do want him back. This team needs more offense and Hudler provides exactly that. I think you are exaggerating that Hudler doesn't play defense. Red Wing fans have such a skewed image of what defensive forwards should be like because we are spoiled watching Z, Datsyuk, Helm, Miller, etc. play at such a high level defensively. Hudler isn't going to be killing penalties, but he isn't a complete liability on defense. I'll take a 57-point player for around three million anyday. Especially when it addresses one of the Red Wings most glaring weaknesses.

Just win boys: take the first period from Wednesday and do it three times tonight and all is good heading back home to the Joe. Mule is going to have a big night. Let's Go Red Wings!

I honestly can't comment whatsoever on soccer as I have never watched an entire game in my life. It may be popular worldwide, but I'm like most Americans and couldn't care less about it. I'll take your word on that subject. Reviews are nice and typically serve well, but what does it matter in situations when the stupid intent to blow the whistle rule overrides a good goal anyways? It happened with May and more importantly to Hossa in Anaheim. Is that not poor officiating? I'm not saying it isn't a tough job. All I want is some more solid consistency. If no one following or playing the game knows what a penalty is from night-to-night, I don't see how that is anything but a failure on the NHL's end to properly implement the rules they expect to guide play. Refs in the NHL have far too much impact on the outcome of games for my liking. Last night was no exception and I'm not just saying this because the Red Wings lost. It isn't overreacting if the problem is ongoing and there doesn't seem to be any effort in place to fix the shortcomings.

Bad calls are a part of sports - I haven't really come across anyone arguing otherwise here. However, I consider myself a pretty dedicated follower of all four professional sports. Hockey is my favorite sport, but I have an emotional interest vested into other teams as well. The difference is I hardly ever watch a baseball or football game and come away thinking the officiating had a direct influence on the outcome. It happens in hockey pretty frequently and far more than I feel is appropriate. Hockey is the worst officiated professional sport hands-down and it seemingly keeps getting worse somehow. I'm not big into conspiracy theories and what not, but there is a huge line to me between bad calls and consistently crossing the line like so many numerous times we have seen as Red Wings fans in recent history. You can't miss a high sticking infraction like the one on Lidstrom last night and tell me something like the elbowing call on Lilja is acceptable. The refs aren't doing their job in that case. Human error is part of the deal, but repeated offenses is more than human error. The league doesn't know what a penalty is, refs don't, the players don't and neither do we as fans on a nightly basis. The NHL is poorly run. It's pathetic the lack of accountability that the league holds its officials to after continuous poor performance. I don't see anything like what happens in the NHL even remotely occurring in other professional sports.

I was hoping that back in 2007 too. This is a great move though getting Abdelkader in there. The last time I saw this much of a clear consensus on LGW was when the Wings signed Williams last summer.

I'm all for Abdelkader playing over Williams. I'll pass on May though - he's too slow to play against a team like Phoenix. Put Stuart on the second powerplay unit. I thought he was our best d-man last night and really what the hell has Williams done to make a difference? What good is a right-handed shot if all he does is cough the puck up?

I've said this before, but if I didn't love the Red Wings, I sincerely doubt I would follow the NHL because it's a garbage league run by morons and it just trickles down to the officiating. The league doesn't know what the rules are and the refs do a terrible job enforcing the perceived rules on their end. I thought last night was a disgrace in general, although the Red Wings definitely got the short-end of the calls (which I expected going into the series playing the league's second team). There was way too much garbage getting called. Ten powerplays combined isn't hockey - it's a specialty teams showcase which unfortunately the Red Wings did poorly at. The Lilja elbowing call was frickin laughable. The Morris goal was a result of an interference penalty they have seemingly called 1000 times this season. Let the players play the game, call the stuff that matters. Ya know, like a blatant high stick to the face which somehow goes unnoticed by eight eyes. Nice priorities NHL: make sure to call five hooking minors 200 feet from the play, but ignore an obvious offense which no doubt changed the game. Hockey is the best sport in the world. It's a shame we have to watch a league run and officiated by incompetent individuals on so many levels.

Time to do it boys. The real season starts tonight. Remember June 12, 2009? I do and I want to avenge it with the Stanley Cup returning to Hockeytown. Let's Go Red Wings!

Round 1 Template: SJS/COL: 4-1 CHI/NSH: 4-1 VAN/LAK: 4-2 PHX/DET: 4-2 WAS/MTL: 4-0 NJD/PHI: 4-1 BUF/BOS: 4-2 PIT/OTT: 4-1 WC Champion: Vancouver EC Champion: Pittsburgh SCF Champion: Vancouver

It's pretty sad when your fanbase has to be encouraged to be louder than the opposing fans in your OWN building. I loved the part how where it said Phoenix fans are polite and reserved at sporting events. Ya think? Can much come from 12 people at a Coyotes game?

MVP: Henrik Zetterberg (this is Hank's time of year) Sleeper: Darren Helm

Thanks again Aussie_Wing for all of your hard work and effort to allow us to take part in this game every weekend. It is greatly appreciated. Thanks also to Dan Bylsma for your hard work as well. Congrats to kook_10 on winning! It was a pleasure taking part again this season.

What the hell kind of start time is 6:30?

I think NBC wanting the Wings on Sunday probably influenced why the series starts on Wednesday rather than Thursday. Either way, one less day to wait for some playoff hockey!

15-3-2 Jumped from 9th to 5th - what the hell else do you want?

This team and franchise is in a class of its own. Lose nearly 100 goals in the off-season, have nine injured regulars out at one point, played more games than any other team the past three seasons, and compete in by far the superior conference... Yet, another 100-point season and a chance to make some noise again in the playoffs. Yeah, we got it real tough.

Hey Alex, Stephane Auger can hear you. Oh, funny how Burrows mentioned the Canucks ONLY win against the Red Wings in four tries.

Thank you to Aussie_Wing & Dan Bylsma for all of your hard work and effort this season! Friday: Philadelphia @ NY Rangers Atlanta @ Washington Detroit @ Columbus Anaheim @ St Louis Chicago @ Colorado Saturday: Carolina @ Boston Edmonton @ Los Angeles x2 Toronto @ Montreal Buffalo @ Ottawa NY Islanders @ New Jersey Pittsburgh @ Atlanta Florida @ Tampa Bay St Louis @ Nashville Dallas @ Minnesota Calgary @ Vancouver Phoenix @ San Jose Sunday: Boston @ Washington NY Rangers @ Philadelphia Detroit @ Chicago Los Angeles @ Colorado Buffalo @ New Jersey Pittsburgh @ NY Islanders Tampa Bay @ Florida Edmonton @ Anaheim

No kidding, huh? The Royals bullpen truly is brutal though outside of Soria. I'm really happy for Dontrelle Willis after today's game. It sucks the dude has produced one win in a Tigers uniform, but you can't help rooting for him after everything he has been through on and off the field. That was the best Willis pitched with the Tigers: way better control except for early on and I loved the emotion he showed and his attitude in general from spring training to this point. Hopefully that first start was a confidence builder for him and he can be a reliable pitcher at the back-end of the Tigers rotation. Jumping off topic slightly, but Miguel Cabrera is a really really good hitter. Two huge clutch home runs to the opposite field both with two strikes in the count. One saved the Tigers (temporarily), the other won it. Maggs looks terrific too so far. Home opener at CoPa in about 12 hours! I'm stoked already!

I still want Phoenix way more than the other three. After that, San Jose, Chicago, Vancouver in that order.

Well, Rodney made it interesting too often BUT at least he actually got the save always. Come on Valverde... Alberto Callaspo, are you serious?

Anaheim better hang on and win this in regulation...

The Blackhawks haven't beaten a healthy Red Wings team yet this season. Both times the Red Wings had a full lineup (home opener & back in March) they won. The three Chicago wins (especially the two straight in December) looked nothing like the team we see now. I agree the Red Wings would have their hands full in a playoff series, but I highly doubt Chicago would be anywhere near pleased to see Detroit in the first round.

Congrats to the Blackhawks for winning something I guess. After this recent stretch, I have little doubt the Red Wings would have won the division again this season had they not gotten completely wrecked by injuries.

Maybe going to the media wasn't the proper way of handling it, but Ozzie still has a point to this day. I don't think he got chance after chance this season like you said. Once he got hit by the flu, there was never a string of starts from that point on. To be perfectly fair, Ozzie wasn't all that bad in October -- certainly nothing like last season. I'm not even advocating that Ozzie should be the starter -- clearly Jimmy has earned that honor and good for him and the team alike. However, there's more that meets the eye than the Red Wings needing points and Jimmy making every start. Remember the Nashville game in December? I do and I remember who started the next game too. I still think Babcock messed up with the goalies this season and considering he has a history of questionable goaltender management, it isn't so far-fetched to consider that Ozzie's beef is legitimate and personal. I know the Red Wings needed wins and the goalie that gave/gives them the best chance to achieve that is Jimmy Howard. However, no goalie is going to succeed in a backup role making one start in over two months. I am still puzzled (though not shocked) at the number of threads and negativity surrounding Osgood here. What the hell did people expect from someone that has made one start in 2010? It seems no matter what he does, there is always going to be a group of people that will never appreciate what Ozzie has meant to the Red Wings organization. We have some seriously fickle fans that want to throw away any player (Draper, Maltby, Ozzie, Homer before the season) at the first sight of "poor" performance in their eyes. The same people who were probably chanting "Ozzie!" during the playoffs now abandon him and hope he fails. Ozzie has done his best given the tough circumstances. Imagine being the best goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs two straight years and playing one time in two months. Any person with pride is going to be frustrated with that. He isn't a "diva or drama queen" -- no one in the Red Wings lockeroom by any account would agree with that statement for a second especially Jimmy Howard. For all of Babcock's marvelous coaching skills, he's as stubborn as they come. By all accounts, I want and hope Jimmy Howard succeeds in the playoffs, but if he should falter Babcock's all-or-nothing attitude with Jimmy pretty much ruined any chance of Ozzie taking over.