union drone

A lot of people forget how scary Belfour used to be to play against. In recent years he has been pretty ordinary, but in the early to mid '90s, he was totally ridiculous to play against. And really, REALLY hard to beat.

Totally off topic: Hillbillywingsfan, that vid of Data having the computer screen crash is AWESOME! Where did you get it?!

I remember the Wings/Hawks '95 WCF very fondly. That series had a real electricity to it: lots of one goal games, excellent pace, good physicality. Chelios and Belfour were monsters in that series! Probably the only recent Wings series to give me close to that same feeling was last year's Sharks matchup.

Kippersoft

For about a decade now the real goal judge has had a seat in the video replay booth.

It's kinda sad. Not that I'm a Hawks fan or anything, but this team really needs to start being competitive. Chicago could (no, actually should) be a great hockey city. I was hoping that they would finally turn the corner. Having a good Wings/Hawks rivalry will not only make things more interesting, but would be great for the league.

Cue the Voltron theme music... Dah, duh, daaah... dunh, dunh... Dah, duh, daaah... duh, duh, duh... Form blaaazing sword!!

Or maybe Ram-man, like in the old He-man cartoons.

Thanks. Yep, it be photochopped. I made it myself. Originally, it was one of about 20 pics I made for the Wings vs Ducks photoshop thread from back in May.

Goose, gander...duck, drake...duck, duck, goose...whatever... Where was this mentioned in this thread? I don't see it. Are you refering to the Seinfeld reference? That one was over my head...never watched much Seinfeld. BTW, I thought that the Underdraker was kinda funny too...it just doesn't have that roll off the tongue quality, though. My vote is for "Tex". If he ever gets paired with Hudler, they can be Tex and Rex (not that they'll ever see the ice together).

hehe...the scouting report says that Cajanek has an "intriguing offensive package".

Sure he was a wing...a left wing... not a red wing.

I really like the fact that you put the Capitals, Flyers, and Pittsburgh in the same division. The Caps/Pens rivalry has at times been epic (think early 90s), and those two deserve each other. The wings' division has a lot of mojo with the St. Louis, Chicago, Toronto, Minnesota lineup. Boston's addition is questionable, but interesting. Colorado would probably hate all the travel, and might not be on board with being in the Norris. It would be nice to try to maintain some rivalry with them. As for the changes, all seem good. I would add, however 10 minute overtimes before shootout. Having 5 minute OT is a complete joke. It is pointless. Either make it longer or get rid of it altogether! I wonder what the shorter bench will do to the game...

Mildly concerned. It takes time to build up chemistry with linemates. Nothing happens overnight. If thing aren't working there is bound to be some line shuffling. As long as the wings get off to a reasonably decent start, they can afford to find what works. Playing in a weak division will take some of the pressure off of immeadiately finding the best combo. We still have a good amount of cap room. I anticipate Holland finding a top six sniper with some physical upside before the deadline. We would have kept Bert, but the price was too high for someone that is essentially a gamble. There will very likely be a deal done at some point if the wings have a glaring need. In the mean time, I am mildly concerned, but far from panic button.

Perry - helmet = wuss Perry minus helmet still equals wuss, if my math is correct.

The way those two guys were jawing at each other in the penalty boxes, I was expecting to see a rematch later that night.

I give the slight edge to Drake for the fight itself. Perry got in a few, but Drake was far more aggressive. Also, how can a guy who leaves on both his helmet and visor *possibly* be considered a winner in a fight?! For that alone (if all else is equal), Drake gets the "W".

The only one that remotely leaves an impression on me is "Tex". One i just thought of was "Goose". Since the word Drake actaully means male goose, it would be kinda appropriate. Also, it could feed into all kinds of Top Gun references... Goose, you can be my wingman anytime!

Has fan interest really dropped? I was at a bar in Ferndale watching the game. The bar was packed and there was quite a lot of cheering for each Wings' goal and for Drake's fight. When the game ended, the place emptied out. high ticket prices + bad economy + several Detroit teams all performing well = empty seats at the Joe It's simply a lot cheaper and easier to sit in front of the big screen TV and divert the money that would have been spent on tickets to drinking beer instead.

I'd have to go with: 3) Dedicated Wings fan who want the Hawks to do well and be competitive on a consistent basis. Yeah, If the Wings are playing the Hawks there's no question that I want Detroit to pummel them. On the other hand, though, I never want to see any of the original six do so poorly for so long that their fan base goes away. strong original six = good for hockey fans I'd have to go with: 3) Dedicated Wings fan who want the Hawks to do well and be competitive on a consistent basis. Yeah, If the Wings are playing the Hawks there's no question that I want Detroit to pummel them. On the other hand, though, I never want to see any of the original six do so poorly for so long that their fan base goes away. strong original six = good for hockey fans

BTW, Here's the link to the predictions, since no one has put it up yet: predictions

My prediction: Wings: 4 Ducks: 2 Wings: Lidstrom, PP Zetterberg Franzen Chelios, EN Ducks: Getzlaf Beauchemin, PP

Although it feels good to hear Detroit finally get some props, I get nervous when the so called experts start piling onto the Wings' bandwagon, it's usually a bad omen.

Schneider has a great shot and reads offensive opportunities very well. Lidstrom surely got plenty of assists from being paired with him on the PP. Rafalski is not known so much for his shot, but is a good skater, reads plays well, and is a very good set up man. What do you think will be the overall effect (if any) on Lidstrom's numbers and why? Of course, ultimately, what matters is getting the "W" and not racking up stats, but I just want to hear some opinions. Not sure if this has already been brought up in a previous thread, if so I didn't see it.

Nice. Did you know it, or look it up? A lot of these are probably on the Wings' wikipedia page. I've been trying to answer without looking. It's more fun that way, for me at least.