GoWings1905

About the only player that could make me miss Sammy is Jason Williams. Big E should be on the second power play unit.

I agree except swap Helm and Homer. That third line is a defensive disaster and Williams should really not be playing center in the NHL, especially with the Red Wings. I don't really know what to do with Homer -- if healthy I think he should get a shot with Z and Pav -- but I think ultimately Cleary deserves that spot. Datsyuk - Z - Cleary Franzen - Filppula - Bertuzzi Leino - Helm - Williams Holmstrom - Draper - Eaves The fourth line is pretty rough, not sure exactly what they provide. Maybe Draper and Eaves can skate around real fast and get the defense dizzy.

I am so sick of losing games to teams that Notre Dame should beat. And that isn't anything against Michigan, but my goodness this is so old. I have more thoughts on the game but I am too disgusted to bother tonight. Congrats to the UM fans here for their well-deserved victory.

Henrik Zetterberg I would have voted for him ahead of Datsyuk as well.

Malkin, again for me.

Really? Crosby has Datsyuk easily beat in those two categories. Pavel can't come anywhere close to Crosby in terms of playoff production.

Yeah and now we have Jason Williams to not do the things you listed and he is nowhere near the offensive talent Hudler is. Hudler wasn't great at the stuff you mentioned, but he had many other attributes that more than made up for it. His size doesn't really allow him to scrap in the corners or throw a body check. Would you ask Tomas Holmstrom to backcheck hard or kill penalties? Hudler is a quality NHL offensive player and the Red Wings aren't getting that back in Williams, Bertuzzi or Eaves.

I would still take him over Jason Williams.

Navy is a tough, tough team to play against. I can't stand Ohio State, but I don't think playing a close game with Navy is something to be worried about. It is tough to prepare for Navy's offense and that team never quits. What they lack in talent, they more than make up for in determination. The UM/ND game just got a whole lot more interesting after each team's respective performance yesterday.

Evgeni Malkin

Great point GMR. This is the exact reason why I put Crosby ahead of Datsyuk. It is the same reason I will probably vote for Z ahead of Datsyuk too.

Cloutier won't even be around in a month from now. If Jimmy Howard gets outplayed by Cloutier, it was never meant to be for Howard in the NHL.

Why must Fernando Rodney make every save an adventure? I can't imagine how nervous I will be if he comes in during a playoff game. He gets the job done though. Justin Verlander is a true ace. I probably would have said Greinke deserves the Cy Young for sure a few weeks ago, but I don't know how anyone can ignore what JV means to the Tigers. 16 wins, 200+ strikeouts, has really been pitching deep in starts and, best of all, he gives the Tigers a real chance to win almost every fifth day. Six game lead over the Twins now. I just wish there were five games left.

The day has finally arrived. Let the Clausen to Tate/Floyd aerial assualt begin.

That has clearly prevented them from doing much winning.

Very sad news. Tough year so far for some real sports legends in Detroit. That article is pretty impressive. He seems to have such a positive grasp on the situation. I wish Ernie and his family the best.

Nevermind, it's not worth it.

Sidney Crosby

You're fighting a never ending battle. I'm just glad Downey is gone so we don't have endless threads on his three minutes per game.

Sweep! The Tigers are just a completely different team at home. They do everything well at Comerica and now have a five game lead to show for it. Robertson actually looked really good again today. I have to admit that I am shocked he hasn't gotten rocked yet. Have to get at least a game in Tampa this weekend. JV is a pretty safe bet for a win.

Well at least the NHL can justify putting Crosby in every commerical now. To them, this is the second straight season the Penguins have won the Stanley Cup. I would rather watch commercials of Crosby with the Cup than having to sit through all of last season with the Red Wings getting completely shunned. That was so utterly ridiculous.

A standing ovation for a guy that played three minutes a night when he actually did dress? Granted the circumstances are way different, but some fans boo Sergei Fedorov and he was one of the greatest Red Wings players ever.

Nah, not depressed. It stung for a few days after game 7, but then you look back and realize there was nothing to be ashamed of with the Red Wings. I am still proud of them -- they overcame so many bad circumstances (injuries, schedule) to even get to the Stanley Cup Final was a hell of an accomplishment. The Penguins had everything aligned for them similar to the Red Wings in 2008. I think we all know had the Red Wings been healthy, we would be talking about a possible three-peat right now.

Nicklas Lidstrom

I'm with Ilitch on this one completely: no third jersey ever please.