Wild Wing

^You know, I respectfully disagree with you. I think both teams have played equal games, and no one is being outplayed. Yes, the Ducks look really quick and seem to be controlling the puck an awful lot, but you have to tip your hat to an outstanding defensive effort by everyone wearing a red jersey on that ice. Plus, their offense is suprisingly fast, and they sure has hell are not "old." Furthermore, speed alone does not win the Western Conference Finals for us. We have our work cut out for us, and both teams have to continue their dominating play that got them to the WCF in order to advance.

I know most of you guys thought your performance left a lot to be desired tonight, but you guys shut down our power plays so well. It seemed that Detroit had the advantage everytime they were shorthanded, as we were absolutely manhandled during the PP.

Thornton was having some lower-body soreness or something similar, but my guess is that he will be in for the next game. Definitely not a key player like Kunitz, but he skates well and can play decent offense.

Kunitz was playing really physical in Game 1, so my guess is that his hits took a toll on him. Bummer we lost him, and hope he comes back, but now we'll need Penner and Shannon to step up their play, as Kunitz has played great for us throughout the entire season and postseason.

I incurred more heart attacks in this game as opposed to game 1. You guys were DESTROYING us on penalty kill. It really seemed that everytime you were shorthanded, it was an advantage for you. I'm glad we hung in there, and Scottie had a great OT goal. I did love Lidstrom's goal though, how he waited patiently for the shot, saw his opening, and fired away. Once again, Hasek was great, and we better think of more ways to disrupt his play, as I'm pretty sure we can't rely on reviewed goals for the rest of the series.

Are there no plans to get a replacement stadium for Detroit? I know JLA is probably sentimental for many fans, but sometimes, these places get so outdated that it is just time to move on. The Lakers and Kings moved out of the Great Western Forum. The Celtics and Bruins left the Garden. Detroit is a franchise that could use a new stadium, and it can be tasteful enough to tribute Detroit's rich hockey history. Who knows, it could increase in capacity and create revenue for Detroit.

As hard as it was for me to like a Kings player ( ), I've always loved Corvo, but he always shoots it so awkwardly. Whatever, he still found the net. I have to admit, I like the way Ottawa plays, and I like how they beat New Jersey even more.

^LOL! I vote for Fox's NHL coverage to come back so we can get FoxTrax again (read: Fox's terrible idea to make the puck turn into a comet when it was shot.) I don't mind Versus, but I hope their contract expires so I can actually watch the damn WCF finals on my limited channels.

I just want to add, I've only been consistently been watching hockey for a few years, but I am a sports fanatic. Luck in a sport like basketball, baseball, or football is a big deal. Sometimes, you witness extraordinary things. Last night, I didn't consider either of those goals "lucky," as nothing extraordinary really happened. The fact of the matter is, there is a lot of traffic in front of the net, and the puck is so small, that these things happen. That being said, aside from this whole series, this happens consistently in hockey. Deflections happen all the time. Sucks it happened in the playoffs, but both teams were playing tight defense, and although there was a fortunate bounce in the Wings favor, the box score doesn't reflect that, as other posters have stated. Who knows, maybe we will get some bounces in game 2!

I believe it to be a testament to the Wings "D" when they stop a 2 man advantage, and the rare 4 on 3, which can be a dangerous to the opposing teams. We are going to have to generate some extra tricks to get around your guys. Everyone is so quick to point to Lidstrom and other tested Detroit defenders, but the entire team plays outstanding defense.

I saw the game late last night (I actually didn't look at the score, which was an amazing feat for me), and I wanted to give some comments, although I won't be scanning the previous pages. I was one of the few Ducks fans that acknowledged Detroit's great defense before the series, and I really hope all the other Ducks fans saw that in action last night. Detroit played outstanding defense, as the Ducks players had absolutely no room. Every shot was deflected by defenders, and Hasek was incredible. Nevertheless, it was a very exciting first game! I was impressed by the Ducks coming out strong physically, but they need to watch the power play. I'm definitely looking forward to game two. I'm glad we have Marchant back though, otherwise Detroit would have a very large upper hand on us. I'm also glad we actually scored a goal, as a shutout by Hasek would have been bad news for us!

I don't have Versus, unfortunately, so I'll be going to Disneyland, and then heading to my friend's afterward, who TIVO'd the game. He had a family emergency, and I am unable to go to sports bars at my age (Stupid OC rules), so I'm avoiding this site and going to Ducktown, USA (Disneyland).

^If the Ducks lose this series, you can quote me for saying we should have created an effigy of Gordon Bombay.

I will be pissed if the Wings fans at Honda Center will be louder than us for game 3! As for me, I tend to lose my voice at every game, because I really get into it. That's what I love about the sport of hockey, and I get dissapointed when fans don't cheer on their team. I just love when I hear fans get all into the game (i.e. Buffalo's fans), and are unrelenting in making noise. With the exception of the Los Angeles Lakers, it is often difficult to witness fans go all out at most sporting events. This does exclude our games with major rivals: Los Angeles and San Jose. I'm also bummed that the Detroit GM does not lower the price of tickets at the JLA. I love the concept of blue-collar workers, who strongly represent the heart of American labor, slaving away to generate income, but then going to a Red Wings game after to passionately display their emotions for their team, letting loose after toiling away at a factory. I'm a poltical science major, and I always try applying concepts of sociology when I talk about sports fans, but it is a bummer that all fans do not go all out. Just my .02 cents.

^I'm definitely not trying to call you out or anything, but I consider myself a fairly "new" hockey fan (in terms of years watched and understood), and Detroit has an AMAZING shutdown line. You need to be mindful that San Jose has a more high-octane defense than we do, and Detroit limited them to around twenty shots for an entire game! We took sixty or so shots on Vancouver, and we must acknowledge Detroit's nasty defense. I hope Carlyle and his team have a good plan for this, otherwise I'm calling for Bombay and Goldberg.

^Thanks man, I just like to know all the petty rivalries before each game/series. It gives the "boos" that rain so much more depth.

What the hell is hockey? Da dizzle izzle stanllizzle cuppizzle?

Don't get us wrong, we just really wish we were playing The Wild in the Western Conference Finals instead of you guys!

Black, white, and red all over.... Oops, sorry, wrong thread.

I would love to have a healthy Todd Marchant in this series to compete with Detroit's unrelenting bench (yes, there are a few Ducks fans who can say that Detroit is deep and plays excellent defense). I think the reality is that Marchant has a huge role to fill, entering in the postseason after being absent for so long. We could really use the defense however, because Niedermayer and Pronger are not Superman against the four lines of Detroit. Hopefully Pahlsson plays well again this series, because we need our other role players to step up to deal with the talent of Detroit.

Allow me to say though, this goes both ways. Granted, I know NOTHING about these boards, having lurked since Calgary's goalie slashed a Wings player in the first round (I wanted to see the Flames get slammed, what can I say?). However, most evidence of cockiness I have seen is in response to a Ducks fan being cocky. If it isn't the case though, so what? The cockiness of NHL fans is what I love about the sport. I love the reckless arguing and personal attacks that come with it, because it represents the passion of the fans for their team. I know the rules don't express that, but this is all in good fun. Also, like Crymson mentioned, our posts really have no effect on the players (I will eat my words if a Wings or Ducks player actually reads these posts )

I've decided that as a Ducks fan, I must continue the great reputation we are setting for ourself: OmG dominick hassek is so old and slow, he is gong to nied a walkerto stop selanne and kariya, the two best players in the uSa nhl. sellannee is italian, but he can play really well and i think kariya is canadien, but he doesn't suck like canada lolz. detroit has such a weak dfense, they havent played any phyzicle teams. clargary is a bunch of flamers and the sharks sux. the seires is a sweep, youguys, im sorry. ducks will win it in four games, and you will all be crying in game 4 at the joe louis outdorr stadium. In all seriousness, just know that there are some Duck fans who can maintain some class. Is anyone from these boards going to Game 3? Maybe we could have an LGW meet, as I can guarantee no one will heckle you! Furthermore, I can't understand how much analysis is put into these games, I just expect a great series.

As I stated before, the Wings do NOT have a weak defense. The entire team is very defense orientated, and they play solid. A weakness of the Ducks is that we have a few players that play solid defense. I know everyone already mentioned Niedermayer and Pronger (who I guess people dislike, care to elaborate so I can learn more Detroit rivalries?), but it is important to highlight Beauchemin and Pahlsson, who play defense well. Again, this pales in comparison to Detroit's team-defense. In one of our games against Vancouver, we took 60-70 shots, and should have racked up a fairly high score, but Luongo was AMAZING. We will not get 60-70 shots on a team that can limit you to 20 over an entire game. I think our defense is going to be tired at the end of this series, so I'm looking forward to our offensive lines to produce some scoring. I do acknowledge that Detroit is by far our hardest opponent thus far, but think we can keep pace with you guys. Either way, looking forward to it.

If we lose this series, at least I'll have the movie to cheer me up. Haha, I love that speech.

Did you guys hear Coach Bombay's press conference after the Wings won tonight? Sports Reporter: Coach, what do you think of your team's chances against the Red Wings? Coach Bombay: Now here's the long and the short of it: I hate hockey and I don't like kids. I know, you guys are jealous of our obviously focused coach.