union drone

Hmmm...I expect a tight game: Wings 3 (Z, Cleary, Sammy) Blues 2 (Boyes, Hinote)

I don't remember Ann Arbor having all that many pedestrians...or giving me that romantic feeling.

...and in this alternate universe downtown Detroit is filled with pedestrians who love to visit the ample shops, coffee houses, and boutiques, and can ride around on the efficient public transportation system. Tourists from around the globe love to visit alternate universe Detroit because of its high culture and the feeling of romance that one gets from merely walking down its tree-lined boulevards.

Well, I wasn't intending to paint Z and Sammy with the same brush. No one doubts that Z>Sammy. My point was that Z (or any player who takes a lot of shots) will benefit from having a Homer-type player in front of the net. It's unfair to say that Homer is riding on Hank's coattails. It not that simple. Homer's play without the puck creates chances for other players and can give them assists when Homer does cleanup on rebounds. Interestingly, I bet that Sammy would probably put up some decent numbers playing on a line with Dats and Homer. Edit: added my final thought.

It would be a bit surprising if Homer doesn't get 30 goals, IMHO. For the past two seasons he has averaged pretty much 30 goals. He is off to a better start this year and is getting loads of time on the top line and on the PP. Yes, he will probably slow down, but also, he will probably have another hot streak at some point. My guess: 35G + 25A As for riding on Hank's coattails, sure Hank makes Homer a better player, but so does Dats, Lids, and Rafalski. Homer depends on rebounds and getting hard shots from the point. He has a specific role on his line, he knows it, and he plays it as well as he can. One could just as well argue that Hank would not have 16 assists if it weren't for Homer collecting rebounds and putting them in. Instead we might be complaining about Hank always hitting the goalie in the chest (like we do for Sammy, who also takes a lot of shots).

You probably have nothing to worry about...especially if you are next to him with your Zetterberg jersey on! (Or Yzerman or Lidstrom or Datsyuk for that matter...).

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

One question: if wooden sticks are so much better than composite ones, why is there so much demand for composite sticks?

Hasek is a professional and future hall of famer. Unless Dom is hurt, throw him right back out there. If he drops the ball regularly, start thinking about plan B. If he does okay, alternate him and Ozzy until Dom returns to top form. I would rather have a losing streak of a few games and a clear answer, than a full season of question marks.

I wonder if the callers are all shills.

Nice link. I didn't know that Kane had a Detroit connection. I did get to see him play in Saginaw when the London Knights were visiting. I seem to remember him scoring in that game.

Wouldn't mind untying the bow on that present.

Probably not much, considering that Chirs Chelios WON the first Mark Messier leadership award (the annual one, not the monthly one). Maybe I should tap into the power of Chelios to get people to actually respond to my questions...I suppose that it's much more important for LGW users to start yet another Osgood vs Hasek thread.

I remember that last year the NHL was each month giving an award to the player that most exemplified leadership. What that a one shot (one year) thing? Or are they still doing it? Why is it that I haven't heard anything about it this year?

- If you had to replace one Russian Five player for Pavel Datsyuk to play on that line, who would it be? Sergei Fedorov - If Chris Chelios retired before he went to Detroit, would he still be deserving of the HOF (You know that's where he'll be)? Chelios will get into the HOF mostly for the things he did before joining the Wings. - Is Sergei Fedorov a definite top 5 for all time TWO WAY PLAYER? Top 5? Probably not. Top 20? Quite possible. - Number 9 is probably the most legendary number in NHL history, therefore who is more responsible for this, Maurice Richard or Gordie Howe? Well, let's not forget Bobby Hull... Howe was probably a bit more famous than Richard or Hull for being #9, but the others certainly can't be overlooked. - If... sorry... WHEN the Wings win the cup in '08, who should Lidstrom hand it to first? Depends on how the Wings got there. Zetterberg is a good possibility, but others might be more deserving. If Lilja scores a SCF game 7 OT goal, I would imagine that he'd be pretty high on the list. - Henrik Zetterberg is on pace for 137 points, how close will he be from actually accomplishing this feat? Zetts will slow down a bit over the course of the season. I think that he will finish with 45g 65a for 110 points. - If Igor Larionov and Pavel Datsyuk played together, who would be the goal scorer and who would be the playmaker? They would just both stand in front of the crease passing the puck back and forth. - Zetterberg re-signing with Detroit when he becomes UFA is highly likely... How much will he sign for? Detroit will probably re-sign him for at least as much as Dats is making. - Rafalski or Schneider? Rafalski is a more multi-dimensional player than Schneider. - Out of every player on the Red Wings roster, which one is likely to troll LGW from time to time? Actually, it's Babs. He does the opposite of what everyone here thinks is right. That is the reason for the Wings' continued success. Edit: added bold print

In related news, the Ducks have refused Niedermayer's request that his name now be spelled "Need-a-mayer" on the back of his jersey. It is unclear whether this announcement will affect his choice to return from retirement.

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

I thought that this already existed, at least in a limited form. Wasn't Washington still paying a decent sized chunk of Jagr's salary as recently as last season?!? Or is my memory failing me?

Although I find the red jerseys to be more attractive, I prefer the team to wear white at home...it just seems right to me.

Hey, I was only listing goal scorers...it's not my fault if Z is only able to muster 3 assists tonight.

He's got my vote. He might actually make the all-star game worth watching.

My picks: Wings 3 (Homer, Dats, Flipper) Preds 1 (Legwand)

I would slot him in at around 75 games. I am sure that at some point he'll miss a couple games for any number of reasons....and those reasons will probably occur more than once.

Can the Sens break the Wings win record? Sure, why not? For that matter, any team (except maybe the Oilers or Yotes) still could if they went on an awesome tear the rest of the season. Heck, the Wings have almost as good of a chance as the Sens do.

Personally, I don't think that it was the punch or the dog-pile that broke Moore's neck...I think that it was Bertuzzi driving Moore's head into the ice.