TheDude

Kozlov left Buffalo after injuring his achilies... The Wings do not need someone to throw elbows around...they need someone to light the lamp. Kozlov could fill that role nicely. I like the prospect of bringing in Hartnell too, but he is going to get a big time raise this summer...which may make him too expensive for the Wings to sign.

Pretty sweet Russian 5 vid Fedorov video. Pretty amazing story really considering he risked his life and the possibility of never seeing his family just to play hockey...geez those softie Euros...

Wait...you mean to tell me that Bertuzzi injured his back?!?!? OMG I didn't know that...maybe I should go look at the 800 Bert apologist threads for some clarification. You completely missed my point. Signing Bert is a very risky move given his recent history...whereas Kozlov just came off a 80 point season(a much less risky player to sing) LOL right..Shanny was as lazy as anyone else on the team while he was here, and if you'll remember was in Bowman's doghouse more often than not....

Right...because all of his scoring was solely becasue his linemates and definitly not because of his skill. Without a doubt Kozlov didn't have any positive effect on them guys either. Gimmie a ******* break. If Kozlov came here he would be most likely playing on a line with Dats, Hank or both...geez them guys are scrubs if I've ever seen 'em. Bertuzzi has shown the physical force of a wet paper bag since he left Vancouver... Ahem my memory is fine...I do recall many people in Bowman's doghouse including Yzerman who...gasp...Bowman almost had traded. I also remember Kozlov scoring huge playoff goals while he was here.

If the Wings could get him, Kozlov would be a great addition. Kozlov would bring much needed help to the powerplay because of his scoring touch and great hands. Moreover, for a guy his size isn't afraid to get garbage goals around the net which is where most playoff goals are scored. Yeah he did not record any points in the playoffs this year, but I think the production he showed in his previous playoff years is a better indication of what he brings to the table. Also I find it curious that so many in here are against signing Kozlov and yet are very much in favor of signing Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi is coming off a serious back injury and has a lot of baggage, while Kozlov just had a career year. Seems pretty obvious which player is more of a risk to me...

Bertuzzi is a punk. Shedding a few crocodile tears means nothing. If he was a man he would apologize to Moore face to face...you know the guy who Betruzzi sucker punched and drove to the ice head first...

I should have been a bit more carefull in regards to the word choice in my first post. It could be seen as giving Bettman a free pass, but that was not my intention or how I feel about him as a commissioner. He has made mistakes, but IMO criticism of him has gone a bit overboard. Yes I do realize he didnt get the ball rolling on the competitive committee. My point was he has been at times(not always) receptive to opposing viewpoints.

@vangvance The aggressor portion of the rule is important to the overall rule, because without that there is no instigator and other subsequent misconduct penalties as defined. The conjunction "and" implies that both "instigator" and "aggressor" must be present for a instigator penalty to be assessed. "A player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be both the instigator and aggressor of an altercation shall be assessed an instigating minor penalty, a major penalty for fighting, a ten-minute misconduct(instigator) and a game misconduct penalty(aggressor). Whatever problems arise are found in the interpretation of the rule, not the rule itself. My thoughts are Bettman has been unfairly criticized--like the instigator rule, and that's why I brought it up. Both are not perfect, but completely scrapping them isn't prudent either.

Blaming Bettman for the state of the NHL is so beyond stale. The past stoppage was because owners could not control their spending...players were getting contracts that clearly were unrealistic for the sport, and had to be reduced significantly for the survival of the game. All leagues suffer from stoppages, and since the NHL is a fringe/regional sport this trend has been accentuated. Clearly Bettman got the best tv deal that was available to him at the time. Under his leadership the NHL has recently taken a large part of the obstruction and interference out of the game. Sure there have been growing pains, but it is clearly better that the wwe like takedowns that were prevalent before this have been significantly reduced. Don't believe me? Go watch some playoff highlights from 1998 or earlier(hint 1995 Devils). Those of you who are putting all of the problems the NHL faces on him just aren't looking at the situation objectively. He is no Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis. Bettman has been receptive to imput from all angles, which includes the implimentation of things like the competitive committee to make changes to improve the overall state of the game. Finally, the "instigator rule" I think is a good thing, and before any of you jump on me read it heres a direct quote 2006-07 NHL rulebook Section 6 47.3 (pp. 145-146 in pdf format) "The aggressor in an altercation shall be the player(or goalkeeper) who continues to throw punches in an attempt to inflict punishment on his opponent who is in a defensless position or is an unwilling combatant. A player(or goalkeeper) must be deemed the aggressor when he has clearly won the fight but continues throwing and landing punches in a further attempt to imflict punishment and/or injury on his opponent who is no longer in a position to defend himself." here's the kicker and where the rule is not understood... "A player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be the aggressor of an altercation will have this recorded as an aggressor of an altercation for statistical and suspension purposes." "A player or goalkeeper who is deemed to be both the instigator and aggressor of an altercation shall be assessed an instigating minor penalty, a major penalty for fighting, a ten-minute misconduct(instigator) and a game misconduct penalty(aggressor). The instigator rule is clearly something that should not be removed from the game when looking at the rule as it actually is and not by misconceptions of it, because for one of the fighters to continue to throw punches when his opponent doesn't want to fight or is an undefensable position is busch league and has no business in the NHL.

That was a total punk move by Alfredson... I can only imagine what the reaction would be around here if Pronger was the one who did what Alfredson just did...

I am a bit surprised at the overwhelming support for the Wings signing Bertuzzi this summer. Back injuries are funny and he isn't exactly getting any younger. The incdent with Moore is also hanging over his head...nobody here can deny that what he did to Moore has had a big impact on the player Bert is since then. Sure, he has had injury problems but Bert has lost something...that frankly he may never get back. I don't think signing him is worth the risk. Plus he is not going to come to the Wings for a song; there are several cup contending teams in the NHL and it's not like he has been in Detroit for a long time...

This sort of case could be made for the NFL because there is a single elimination format there, but the better team always wins in a seven game series. Yeah it sucks for the WIngs, but that fact is undenyable. The dominance that we are saw in game 1-2 of the SCF by the Ducks we also saw in 1-2 of the WCF. Dom gave the Wings a chance to make it a series, and they did eventually. Will the Sens do it? I dont think so, but I hope so because I want game 7 OT since I couldn't give a crap who wins....

I saw two things mainly in the game last night. First, great goaltending. Emery and Giggy both played a great game. Giggy didn't have as much action, but made a few unbelievable saves. The Ducks seemed to have just that little extra jump in their skates all night, and if the Sens don't match their intensity and hustle fast this series is done in 5 max.

"So, be honest. You think that Chris Osgood couldn't have won the Cup in 1997, when his top four defensemen would have included Vladimir Konstantinov instead of Anders Eriksson? [/font] Or how about 2002, when Dominik Hasek had the two best defensemen in the world at the time? Osgood=Only Wings netminder to win the Cup while Lidstrom was the only Norris contender on the team. I am soooo sick of the 'well, Ozzie didn't really win the Cup like Vernie and Hasek did' s*** given that his squad was easily the worst team of the three" Nowhere did I say he couldn't have won the cup in '97 or '02, or they would have won in '98 regardless of who they started. What I did say was that their cup win in '98 was due in large part due to the tragedy that followed the previous year; that is an absolute fact. Did you forget the goals he let in from center ice during that run? Um, yeah. The overall point I am making is that Osgood never was and never will be an elite level goalie, and at this point in his career he just is not a capable starter. If Hasek retires, going with Osgood is a mistake, and will not end with the Wings winning the cup.

I would absolutely love to see the Wings sign Brashear...and with the way teams take liberties on our star players a salary of a million or less would be a bargain. Plus I would just like to see the Wings fight more....

Saying anyone would be better than Osgood/Howard is taking it a bit far but... Osgood is a decent goalie, and has been a good team player in his role as backup.There is alot to be said for the professional way in which he has handled his role on the team, and I don't think anyone would disagree with that. Here's tthe problem with him. He is a decent goalie. He just doesn't posess the skillset to steal games in the playoffs, and to win the cup you need that in a goalie. If they do go with Osgood next year they are not going to lose because of him, but they will not win games because of him either. The reason why the Wings have played "goalie musical chairs" as it has been pointed out in this thread and others is because the goalie is by far the most important deciding factor in who wins the cup each year, and situational issues. Vernon was brought in because the Wings didn't feel Osgood could get the job done, and left after the 97 cup so the Wings decided to give Osgood another chance in 98 and it paid off; they repeated as cup champions. However, if we are honest about it they won in very large part due to the sentimental motivation behind the tragedy that followed their cup win in the previous year. Hasek was brought in for obvious reasons...he is an elite goalie and he absolutely lived up to the hype and gave one of the best playoff performances by a goalie in recent memory; he left the Wings after winning the cup. Legace and Cujo both proved to be mentally weak. Now we have Hasek back, and through their run he was their best player. Without any doubt he stole a game in both the San Jose and Aneheim series...

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Even if the Wings won this series the ratings would have been horrible...outside of a few markets nobody watches the NHL playoffs in the US.

I, for one, hope Dom comes back for one more year. He was absolutely good enough in this run. The combination of Wings not burrying chances, making monumental mistakes at inoportune times, and depth issues due to injury was their ultimate downfall. Not Hasek. The Wings are totally screwed if Dom doesn't come back next year...that is unless they are able to somehow convince Giggy to come here which is unlikely in my opinion, but if Dom does not decide to play one more year in Motown he is obviously the best option...and Holland should be very active in trying to acquire him. Osgood is not the answer. If Ozzie is their starter next year they will have exactly a 0.0% chance of winning the cup...and they don't have anyone ready to take over the starting job in the system. The importance of goaltending in the playoffs cannot be overstated. If it wasn't for Giggy stealing game 5 and to a lesser extent game 4(third period anyway) we would all be talking SCF matchups between Wings and Sens. Conversly, the same argument could be made for Dom in the first 2 at the Joe--and the first 2 against the Sharks. The Ducks owned the first two, and if it wasn't for Dom stealing game 1 the Wings would have never really made it a series. I hope the Osgood fans do not view this as bashing, because it is not. I happen to like Osgood, and given his experience he can be a servicable backup regardless of who the Wings decide to go with as starter next year. However, he simply does not posses the skillset at this point in his career to be the starter for a legitimate cup contender.

Whether or not Bertuzzi intended to break Moor's neck is irrelavant. The hit was dirty and a neck was broken. Comparing that to what Pronger did is just laughable. Personally, I thought Bertuzzi should have been banned for life, but whatever. I'm sure he feels terrible about what he did...and was punished... As far as his future with the Wings. I don't know. My feelings about the guy aside, I think the move to get him at the deadline was good and I stand by that. However, Holland may be better suited to look in a different direction this summer.

If the Wings are going to force game 7 Datsyuk and Zetterberg better find their road game, and Hasek needs to at least equal Giggy. Can they do it? Sure. Will they? Meh, I'd say it's probably a coin flip.

Um dude seriously...blaming the loss in game 5 on a NHL conspiracy is just laughable. Yes the penalty in question was a cheap call, but that is exactly how the entire game was called(consistency). The Wings pp in OT resulted from a very weak call, but I don't see any talk of conspiracies concerning that one. The biggest reason we see powerplays in the waning minutes of games in the playoffs is because the desperation the losing team is playing with, not because of some grand scheme to keep the game close. The Wings have nobody to blame but themselves in the loss. The refs gave them a fair shake.

Calling out players in a public way is bush league stuff...and to insinuate that since Babs isn't publically flaming his players there isn't accountability is absolutely rediculous.

I once knew a man who said "Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back."--Gladiator The Wings have shown the heart of a champion in this playoff run. When Clagary came back and tied the first round at 2-2, they responded. When the Sharks went up 2-1 and were winning in the last minute of game 4, they responded. Now down 3-2 to the Ducks....they will respond.

At this point in his career Osgood is a backup and there is a good reason for that. The Wings are fortunate to have a backup goalie that has the level of experience Ozzie has, but to suggest the Wings would be better off with him in the nets rather than Hasek or that Osgood is as good as any goalie in the league is just silly, and if Hasek wants to come back for the Wings next year he will be the starting goalie. Hasek is a world class goalie and when he is on the top of his game there is a very select group of goalies that are his equal. As for this series specifically...the Wings were dominated in the first two games and if not for Hasek they would have gone into game 3 down 0-2.Hasek absolutely stole game 1 for the Wings. You think a 0-2 start is a little different than 1-1? Yeah. Btw round 2 played out in similar fashion...and we all know how that series ended.