GoWings1905

My goodness, every day there is a new thread about this crap. The Red Wings do not need a new goalie. They already have two very good goalies. The defense needs to play at a much higher level. Ozzie can get better and so can Conklin, but they can only do so much without some intensity and focus from the defense. Jimmy Howard, an AHL goalie with minimal NHL experience, is not the answer to the problem. If two proven capable NHL goalies are being victimized by poor defensive play, Howard isn't going to help the cause. The Red Wings will fix the defensive issues or they can count on plenty of golf next spring. 18-4-4 for all the panickers. Things really aren't all that bad.

Wow, what is it with Sunday and the Pistons? 0-5 in games on Sunday. 11-3 in games every other day of the week.

No kidding. They moved on to Ozzie now.

Cleary, Pav, and Hossa were terrific as a line last night. I don't know what that means for Homer at even strength without one of the Euro Twins, but I wouldn't break up something that is working. Cleary has been really good the past few games.

Where has anyone said Ozzie has been good? Nobody (Ozzie included) has said that Ozzie is playing at a level like we witnessed last spring. It's people like you that recite crap like "bring up Howard" and "Ozzie should retire" that force reasonable people to intervene and defend Ozzie from outlandish statements like you make. You accuse people of blindly defending Ozzie, but you can't even realize that Ozzie's start has by no means been all his fault. Your overreactions are amusing and absurd considering how quickly it seems you turn on a player that was stellar in the Red Wings winning a championship. Conklin gave up four goals last night and the Red Wings still WON, which is what has been happening to Ozzie most of the season. Should Conklin retire and Larsson come up and play now? The defense has room for improvement and so do the goaltenders. The great part is the Red Wings are 18-4-4 and have played nowhere near their potential yet. If you are going to come in and bash Ozzie, at least try to look at the situation from a reasonable perspective.

I can't stand the Blackhawks. I bet every post on their board for the GDT is "Detroit Sucks." Red Wings: 5 (Zetterberg x2, Hudler, Rafalski, Holmstrom) Blackhawks: 3 (Sharp, Kane, Ladd) Let's Go Red Wings! :octo: EDIT: Their new thing is "Losertown" instead of Hockeytown. This coming from a franchise that hasn't won anything since 1961.

Uhhh ... Hasek played the first four games and could not do it. Ozzie saved Dom's and the Red Wings collective playoff lives.

You're using the NHL ASG as your basis that Osgood sucks? Ozzie sure looked in great form when we needed him most, unlike another goaltender on the team. But that was just because of the defense in front of Oz right? Do you like winning championships or do you want to sacrifice a lot of skill on this team to pay for an expensive goalie? You clearly are a fickle, turn-on-the-player/team at any chance fan. Are you going to be here when Ozzie and the defense turn things around?

There's still nothing wrong with it. I would say in Ozzie's case the "tutoring" worked. It made Ozzie a champion again and in convincing fashion.

You have never tried to better or improve yourself in life?

Were you calling Ozzie that when he was a pivotal piece of the Red Wings winning a championship in June?

Really? I believe the Red Wings had another "decent" goalie last season and he couldn't get the job done. Ozzie was THE reason the Red Wings played more than just one round in the playoffs. You really need to go back and check the stats too. Ozzie's career save percentage is over .90, so how could he rarely hit that level then? Nice post. Except for everything you said was false.

That's a quick assumption you made. I like Filppula - sorry if calling him a disappointment isn't acceptable. It's pretty evident that you are a big fan of Filppula and there's nothing wrong with that. However, I am not sure you would ever say anything remotely negative about Filppula, even when it's justified. I called Filppula the most disappointing player on the team so far this season. I am pretty sure that's a fair statement. With a new contract, I expected more than eight points and minus two in 24 games from Filppula. The fact is the Red Wings have plenty of forwards that can kill penalties and play solid defense. Filppula isn't giving the Red Wings anything right now that they don't already have. That could change and I even stated in my previous post that I wasn't giving up on Filppula because of the slow start. I will have to remember that making a constructive criticism of a player is now considered as not liking the player.

Both Cleary and Filppula have struggled offensively to this point. I am not going to write off Filppula as overpaid yet, but he has been the most disappointing player so far this season on the Red Wings. Hudler is badly outplaying Filppula in about half of the ice time. I am not going to judge Cleary too much because of the eye injury. It wouldn't be fair to say Cleary has underachieved with an injury that clearly (no pun intended) affected his ability to play the game. Even with the eye trouble, Cleary was terrific in penalty kill situations and he made a great play to set up Hossa's goal the other night. The Red Wings are going to need Dan Cleary when April rolls around.

Friday: Vancouver @ Minnesota Calgary @ St Louis Colorado @ Dallas Edmonton @ Los Angeles Saturday: Pittsburgh @ Ottawa Washington @ Toronto New Jersey @ Montreal Atlanta @ NY Islanders Philadelphia @ Carolina Boston @ Florida Chicago @ Detroit Buffalo @ Tampa Bay Minnesota @ Nashville Phoenix @ St Louis Edmonton @ San Jose Columbus @ Los Angeles Sunday: Washington @ Carolina Phoenix @ Chicago Calgary @ NY Rangers Columbus @ Anaheim Vancouver @ Colorado

Yes, Notre Dame is better than last season. Either you don't watch the games or you are just in denial. I am not thrilled about 6-6 or how the season ended, but to say they didn't improve at all is absurd. The only thing I see you doing is making excuses. Of course you mentioned the close wins Notre Dame had, but I assume you neglected the close losses on purpose? North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse were all very winnable games. It was raining for the Irish too when they played Michigan, so the fumble excuse is lame. 6-6 isn't a deceiving record for Notre Dame at all. It's probably a perfect indicator of what they are - a mediocre football team. Huh? You were basing the first conference game for UM as a barometer? Not to mention that win came against Wisconsin, the most overrated team in the conference and a mediocre team overall. Michigan was never the third best team in the Big Ten - the next week against Illinois proved that. One game is hardly a sample size to make a statement like you made.

Is anyone else sick of the Canucks yet? All four meetings in less than two months. I had a dream about the Red Wings and the only part I remember is Z scoring the GWG in overtime and the score being 3-2. Red Wings: 3 (Hossa, Cleary, Z) Canucks: 2 (Burrows, Salo)

Looks pretty accurate to me. The only complaint I have is a "B-" for Filppula is very generous.

I would still take Hudler. Babcock probably sees it quite differently though.

If Ozzie doesn't play, NBC should let him wear a mic on the bench. That would be quality entertainment.

Fair enough. I respect that viewpoint and understand some people wouldn't enjoy watching the Red Wings style of play every night. To me personally, I think it is a thrill to watch all that skill on the ice, let alone on one team. We are very blessed as a fan base in general.

When does Samuelsson ever kill penalties?

Is playing a goalie with minimal NHL experience in front of a struggling defense really the best idea? I would like to see Ozzie start the next couple of games against two quality opponents. It gives Ozzie a chance to build some confidence and is a good test for the defense to focus.