BringHomeTheCup!

The point is that he hasn't has 3 good seasons in which you can say he is a consistent 30 goal guy. The past three seasons he has put up 15/15/30 +8, 29/30/59 +14, and 30/22/52 +13. Just for reference in those 3 seasons Robert Lang was a +4, +17, and +12. That's a great example. Homer doesn't play that well with Z and D. He just drives goalies nuts. I can't remember what game it was before or after, but FSN had showed an interview with Homer. They were asking him what it's like playing with Z and D. He said he just tried to stay out of the way and give them the puck. Not to take anything away from Homer, but he is getting too much credit. He isn't a a 30 goal guy. I've never said Homer sucks, or that Babs is only putting him on the line with Z and D because he sucks. Obviously he is there to play a role, one which he does very well. But you take either Z or D off that line and Homer is back to his 20/20 seasons. Regardless Homer could get 30, but so could Rex.

No, that would be like saying Vinny isn't a consistant 100 point guy, which would be true because he has only done it once. However, Vinny has a much better opportunity to become a consistent 100 point guy than Homer has of becoming a consistent 30 goal guy. The reason Homer wasn't putting up these numbers had nothing to do with Dino. Homer never played on a Wings team with Dino. Lapointe was a third line guy who was and still is a lot more versatile than Homer. He did stand in front of the net on the pp, but it wasn't in the Homer/Dino fashion. To compare Robitaille, the highest scoring left wing in NHL history, to Homer is just foolish. However, he only played two seasons here in Detroit, and Homer was already the guy to stand in front of the net on the PP. If anything, the guys who took away from Homer's points were Yzerman , Fedorov, Shanny. The guys who were getting the PT Homer is now. Homer isn't a consistent 30 goal guy. I don't know what 3 seasons you are talking about that he did so well in, but he has had 2 good years. Before that, his highest point total was 40 points. Playing with Z and D, he should be about a 25/40 guy. But to have him score 30 consistently just isn't going to happen.

Poor phrasing on my part. What I meant was that these players aren't Russian because they weren't born in a county that is now Russia. The 4 guys mentioned are not Russian. They do represent Russia in International play. Again, without going into boring details, circumstances allowed these guys to choose which country to play for. This does not make them Russian. As I said before, these guys are no more Russian than an American player is British. I could be wrong, but if I remember correctly Brett was born in Canada. His mother is American, thus by USA law he is an American citizen. But no, that wouldn't bother me one bit.

I actually did spend the time going through each teams NHL rosters, there aren't 37. 27 IS the correct number. I'm not getting technical. The countries those players are from are not Russia. They never have been. They were once part of a larger country, but are no longer so. Should all American born players claim to be British since American was once part of Great Britian and since they speak English? No. Regardless of what you or I may want to call them, the fact remains that they are not Russian. It just so happens to be that that is the way I look at it as well. As far as the transfer agreement, or lack thereof, that has nothing to do with nationality. You should do a little research before you start throwing things out there like that. EDIT: How is it being ridiculously technical to say they aren't Russian? They weren't' born in Russia, therefore, they aren't Russian. End of story.

I think the Wings would have at least made 2 more SCF appearances. Even if you don't believe Roy was a better goalie than Dom, Ozzie and Vernon (or as in my case, if you do), there is no denying a few things, of course all of this is dependent on who the Wings would have given up to get Roy. 1. If the Wings get Roy, the Avs don't get Roy and Keane, two large pieces to their Cup team in 95-96. 2. With out Roy, the Avs don't beat the Wings in any year they beat the Wings in the WCF, if they even get that far. 3. The Wings have a much better chance at the 3-peat. 4. Dom never comes to Detroit. 5. Joseph never comes to Detroit. 6. None of us have to waste years of our life debating who is better, Dom or Ozzie/Joseph/Manny? Realistically, I don't see the Avs as any real threat without Roy. Most assuredly, Scotty wishes he made that deal. UGH! Basketball just gets in the way of hockey season.

The two guys are much more similar than you give Sakic credit for. There is a lot to be said for points scored, but it doesn't tell the entire story. Give Sakic some credit. If he had played for the Wings, and Stevie for the Av's, everyone here would be screaming about how much better he was/is than Stevie. Both are great players in their own right. Both have multiple Cups. One could argue that Stevie had much better teams surrounding him in his Cup years than Sakic did. Again, not bashing Stevie, just giving Joe some love.

No, you do not understand the International rules. Without going into the boring details, in certain situations athletes who have ties to more than one country can choose which country they which to represent in International competition. That is how those fellas who are NOT Russian, play for Russia in International play. If you don't believe me on the nationality, check out TSN, and what I said will be confirmed none of those guys are Russian.

Nabokov, Vishnevski, Zhitnik, and Zherdev are not Russian. They were all born in the USSR, which we all know is defunct. Nabokov is now from Kazakhstan while the other 3 are from Ukraine

That's the type of save that Dom hasn't made all season long - a save that the Wings needed.

How is that?

Pat Quinn could do a lot of good in Washington.

Something to add to that... This happens every season in the NHL. Someone changes teams as a UFA to get paid more. Why are Russians labeled as greedy for moving back to their homeland to make more money, when a guy that moves to another team, ala Drury, to get paid more is just taking market value? I'll never understand why Americans/Canadians seem to feel that the NHL is the be all, end all of hockey.

That's funny. Both Lilja and Downey were available to everyone at one point, and Kopy is a big body, but that's about it.

The fact that the Wings have plucked guys like Hank and Pav from later rounds doesn't translate into other teams not caring about those rounds. It's attributed to a few things, mainly scouting, but also the Wings willingness to take a chance on a guy who isn't a stud. Yes, Hank and Pav were not studs when the were drafted. If they were, they would have went much sooner. So because Drury took the big money from the NYR, he doesn't want to win? That doesn't make sense. The Wings have never really been a team to go out and get the big name UFA's. No, Hull doesn't count. When the Wings signed him, he wasn't the guy everyone wanted like Drury and Danny B were. Remember that UFA class had Blake, Sakic, Roy, J.R., and Mogilny. Even so, the Wings tend to pick up guys via trade. In the past, they were able to trade away high picks, things have changed with the salary cap. The Wings can are no longer allowed to have a payroll as high as they wish. Make no mistake about it, the Wings paid the for the stars they had, and still do. Remember Lidstrom got league max when the cap went into effect. Even if he takes his 'hometown discount' again, he will still take up an extremely large chunk of change, and the discount won't be too much. Those three teams were all legitimate contenders before the cap era. In fact, Tampa won the Cup before the new CBA.

The city of Buffalo would go nuts. Call them a 'small market team' if you wish, but with the last few seasons of playing a fast-paced, run and gun style, they have more fans nationally then you are giving them credit for. On the flip side, the NYR have not been good for a long time and have the recent history of collapsing when it matters most. I think you are overestimating the NYR more than you underestimate Buffalo. I have a hard time believing that NYR would draw more attention than Ottawa. Regardless, any SCF with the Wings involved would translate to higher national ratings than any other WC team.

I don't think it's unfair to say Homer is riding Hank's coattails. If Hank (or Pav for that matter) isn't creating opportunities Homer doesn't get the chance to score those 'garbage goals'. This is completely different from Sammy just throwing the puck at the net. Undoubtedly, a player who shoots a lot would gain a decent amount of assists from playing with a guy like Homer. However, a guy like Homer is going to benefit much more from a player who takes higher quality shots and has the ability to draw multiple defenders. Using you logic, Homer should benefit more from playing with Sammy and Rex since they both shoot a lot. There is no way you can sit there straight-faced and tell me Homer would do as well playing with Sammy and Rex as he does with Hank and Pav. For that matter, he would do as well with any combination of of Pav/Hank or Sammy/Rex.

Thus the * next to each of those 4 players names. As pointed out by Eva, both of us did miss Saprykin. I've also wondered what the hell happened to Zhamnov. Just the other night my buddy and I were watching the 'Top 10 Penalty Shots of 03-04 (I think)' on the NHL network. They had Zhamnov on the list, and neither of us could remember hearing anything about him recently. According to TSN he officially announced his retirement on 9-16-06. But according to NHL.com he is currently on the Bruins roster. I'm banking on TSN.

Any of the original buildings that the Original 6 teams played in would have been fan-f*cking-tastic. I'd love to see a game in Toronto.

Fist off, earlier you said that there were only 28 current NHLers who hailed from Russia. I thought that seemed a bit low. So, since I had nothing better to do, I did a little research. I came up with 32, 3 of which are questionable. I still have a hard time believing 29 NHLers are Russian. That seems really low. In case you are wondering, here is the list I came up with, the players with the * after their names are the ones who are questionable. 1. Afinigenov 2. Brylin 3. Brysgalov 4. Chistov* 5. Datsyuk 6. Fedorov 7. Frolov 8. Gonchar 9. Gebeshkov 10. Kaigorodov* 11. Kalinin 12. Khabibulin 13. Kondratiev 14. Kovalchuk 15. Kovalev 16. Kozlov, Vi 17. Kozlov, Vy 18. Lisin* 19. Malkin 20. Markov, A 21. Ovechkin 22. Radulov 23. Samsonov 24. Saprykin 25. Semenov 26. Semin 27. Tolpeko 28. Tyutin 29. Volchenkov 30. Zhamnov* 31. Zubov 32. Zyuzin Finally, I don't think you can really call Yashin greedy. I think Russians for that matter generally get a bad rep. I mean, yeah, they often do leave for what seems like a small amount. But I think we are missing some things. They are Russians, it's their home. They left to come here and play hockey. You can bet they get homesick. Yeah, I know they can travel back home in the offseason, but it isn't the same as living there. Over here, they are forced not only to play a different style hockey, but eat different foods, speak different languages, travel a lot more, and deal with a different culture. That is a lot to have to put up with to play hockey. Also take note that in Russia they don't pay taxes on they money they earn. So that extra million you say Yashin is making in Russia would be like making $1.25 here (based on 20% tax rate, which I'm sure Yashin would be in a higher tax bracket.) All those things add up to something the NHL and North America can't offer. Yes the Cup is a big draw. But sometimes there are more important things in life than some hardware.

He had two great (for Homer) years. He isn't a consistent 30 goal scored. 25 is a good year from him. 1. As previously mentioned, how are you comparing Homer to Espo? 2. How do you compare Lidstrom to Orr? Orr played a completely different style than Lidstrom does. Orr lead the NHL is scoring in 74-75, and his team several other seasons. Lidstroms best season was 80 points. Orr averaged 76 points, that includes 3 seasons where he played a total of 36 games, and amassed 45 points.

I would agree that the lack of a transfer agreement would make a prospect less enticing, but guys will still get drafted. Obviously the Ovechkin's, Malkin's, and Datsyuk's will get picked. It's the lesser talented guys who might get passed up. Bottom line, if you are good enough, and have the desire to play in the NHL, it will happen.

Thoughts? I hate it when people say "he is on pace for...." What's the point? We all know he won't hit 45 goals. Speculation like that is pointless. He is riding the coattails of Hanks hot streak. Once Hank cools off (and he will) so will Homer, if you can even say he is hot. Predictions? If Homer hits 30 it would be a surprise. He will most likely get 20-25. And next time I hear "so-and-so is on pace for...", I just might shoot myself.

I've always heard that a Detroit - NYR finals would spell out huge ratings. But I don't completely buy that. I don't the the Rangers have that much of a fan base. I think a Detroit - Buffalo finals would blow away (in US ratings) a Detroit - NYR finals.

What do you mean by GFA?