#19forPresident!

Emery comes up big right there, turn around arm flailing for the win

seriously, OT 4tw

damn so close right there

Wow, rename them the Anaheim undertakers, cause they're digging their own graves right now.

Rookie mistake, I agree. He's good, but experience pays off in tournaments. The Ducks are so used to being aggressors he forgot that come this time of year he's actually going to get called for it, dumb penalty. Although I thought Jiggy should have had that, it didn't look redirected, just a screen out front, but hell I'm not out there so what do I know.

gogo good guys! They deserved it after that mugging Getzlaf pulled behind the net, I was amazed it took 3 x-checks before they whistled it.

BOOOOOOOOOO

wow, nasty little trip there

AND......,.....GOAL!!!!!!!!!

NHL Numbers Has every player on a rosters salaries, cap #'s, FA info. All around a great site.

Do I want to see Bert at 100% in a Wings jersey, charging the net and making plays happen like he did in Vancouver? Sweet lord.....YES!!!!!! He's got the potential, and the veteran experience, he's a tested playmaker that knows he can have a shot at the cup here. Finances are the only roadblock, with Lang and Calder probably not coming back hopefully we can ink Bert for around 3.5 - 4.5M, but that's probably wishful thinking considering he made 5.2M or something in his Panthers contract. I'd just hate to lose a good FA like Schneider or Markov to throw a big contract at him, if we can get him at a reasonable price without losing someone else thats playing well I'd love it.

Yeah ESPN does this alot with Madden in football season. I did a simulation of our series with the Ducks on NHL2K7, I just set up the tournament, adjusted the rosters and let it play full duration in back to back games on my PS3 while I was at work and sleeping. That had the Ducks win in 5, so it was close to reality I guess. Either way, its still kind of interesting to see the stat sheets after you do something like that.

I just recently read an article about this little guy too, I'll have to check out the video on TSN. I was rooting Sens anyway, but this story is just even more reason to like that organization. You've got to respect the kindness, generosity and support some people have for complete strangers in need. Especially pro athletes who have it all, some of which can be the most selfish people in existance. Alot of people don't know, but Yzerman had a very similar relationship with a kid from Denver diagnosed with nueroblastoma that he met back in 96'. Per his request there was never much media coverage on it beyond one or two articles over the last decade. He's still going on strong last I heard earlier this year. Fortunately he seems to deal with treatments pretty positively, I think he's 11 this year and was born with the condition. Thats just a class act on the part of the Senators organization and those individuals envovled. For supporting the family through such a tragedy, being a friend to this kid, and helping him smile when its probably the last thing most people would do in his position. Hats off to them. I really hope they raise the cup, that little dude will be upstairs with the big man watching on with better seats than anybody else God bless his soul, and all of those he touched. GO SENS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Amen. I could go on forever about how proud I am as a fan of what this team did this year. Speculation and expert analysis be damned, you guys turned Detroit's "transition year" into a classic performance we knew you were capable of. You can't win em' all, now go enjoy the summer with your families, you deserve it!

Man seeing the word demo followed by the acronym JLA makes me Hopefully when they build the new arena we can break it in with some early championships to help give it some magic. There's nothing like walking in the Joe, the building has a presence of it's own just walking through and taking in all the history in the concourse, the beautiful blue ceiling Granted the bathrooms suck, and some things about JLA scream out of date, but I love the place its the only home of the Wings in my lifetime. Now I know how all the old timers probably felt when they left the Olympia.

You know that is so sad, yet true. He should really never give them a second chance, what with them just forking him over like that after his expressed loyalty. But considering he was their stick boy growing up as a kid and dreamed of playing there he probably has blind sentiment for the organization. He would be an awesome addition, but the price is what would concern me, there would be sacrifice to go with that gain.

You consider Joe Louis Arena holy ground, and Steve Yzerman a religious figure.

Toskala is a diamond in the rough, he won't be nearly as expensive as Giguerre, and he's pretty damn good. Plus he'll be looking to get a starting position somewhere, and probably will. If Hasek leaves and there's no vote of confidence in Howard or Ozzie he would be a nice pickup. As for Nabokov, he still has another year on his contract, so that would have to be a trade, one we likely wouldn't want to make.

I'm all about Kenny GETTIN IT DONE! Some of the stuff I'd like to see is rediculous too, but hell anything is possible in free agency, Kenny could talk a fish out of water.

Hmmm, while it sucks we didn't watch a game 7 tonight, I still can have some Wings time picking apart these undoubtedly opinionated responses to a reccuring Wings offseason question. Also, I'm not saying anyone has, its looked pretty good so far, but please don't crucify people for throwing out ideas you don't agree with. That's the point of this, to see what everybody's thinking. People shouldn't be scared to share because someone is going to call them a douchebag etc.etc. So say what you're thinking, I'll probably make some retarded points of my own that you can nag at too, and thats fine. Just do it in the spirit of something fun since we can't watch our boys anymore this year and go easy on people. Fair warning, this is a stupid long and probably over analytical response to the question, but if you've got time to read it then enjoy. My take- Personally, I'm thinking Dom will come back for another year. Having said that, If he doesn't, I'm not sure if Howard is ready. But then again, will I ever be sure if he doesn't get a chance to really truly test that opinion and get in some big league time consistantly? Who knows, I couldn't tell you. But I think Kenny H is one of the best people in sports in the GM's chair, so with the help of the front office he can try and predict that answer and do it well. My opinion is that if Hasek hangs them up he will probably pull from the FA pool if he can swing a sweet deal, which he is good at. We should also consider players tend to negotiate better when looking at joining a cup contender, which makes Holland's job less difficult. And making work for a man as good at his job as him easier is only good for us. Other things to consider / Cap increase and our UFA's... The question within the question- The Cap The original question about post Hasek Hockeytown, as most people could deduce logically, goes deeper than the netminder spot. First off, revenues are on the rise in the NHL despite woes and negative press about American hockey markets, there was an overall 4-5% increase this season. The salary cap is set to increase in tow, from the $44M we saw this year to an estimated $46-$48M. Noting that lets talk Free Agency. Our UFA forwards Hey Hey the Lang's NOT all here! Next point of consideration. The subtitle speaks for itself. Did he show up? Sure, and thats about all he did aside from the last second goal in the Sharks series. I'm not saying he was invisible he made a couple key assists, but he definitely wasn't all there, not a multi-million dollar performance for certain. So can we safely assume Lang isn't going to make another appearance with the winged wheel? Well call me crazy for doing if you really believe otherwise, it but I will make that assumption. So assuming he won't be back, his $3.8M a year is now back in Kenny's Monopoly set. Bert and Ernie....Errr was that Bert and Kyle? While the ever hated Bertuzzi made the best of his coming off an injury party in Detroit, the same can't really be said for Calder's escaping an early summer in Philly party. All things considered with Bert and his health, he played well. He played well for a guy coming off serious surgery. He played well for a guy who hadn't played a consistant schedule in a year. He played well for someone under alot of pressure to proove he's still a big name in the game. Did he play GREAT? Not as great as the guy that drove the net with intent in a Canuck's jersey, but that's not the real question about him. The real question is CAN he play great AGAIN? I think the answer is yes, with more rehab and time to situate his health its possible, but I'm no doctor and I don't know the specifics of his situation. Bert will be willing to talk about a spot on the Wings certainly, who wouldn't. But how much will he want? That will dictate his return. If Holland can talk modest numbers out of him he'll be back, if he's trying to go big he'll look elswhere. Now on to Calder. He played alright before the postseason, he was chippy in the corners, he was trying to keep Homer's seat warm in front of the net when his line was off, but he wasn't stellar at either role. Some people have speculated he might have been playing hurt in the postseason, but I'm not so sure and even so his regular season performance wasn't particularly impressive. I don't think we resign him unless its for a song, and maybe a bag of salt and vinegar chips. So I'll again make the assumption that he's car pooling with Lang on the trip out of Hockeytown. Our UFA D-men Father Time Lets face it, Chelios suprised everyone, if you weren't suprised then you probably aren't easily startled. He's 45, and he played more like his age was his jersey number. Not only did he deal well with the extra minutes he got via injury to our D pool, but he has been harassing Babcock for more time on the PP all year. A guy his age actually asking for more time. He could play physically until he's 50 based on what he did this year. If he's up to the task he's back next year, no questions asked. Oh Danny Boy I thought Markov played solid throughout the year as well as in the playoffs. Nothing he did would make sportscenter, but thats just it, he mostly did all the little things right so that he went unnoticed. He could stand to shoot more from the point and get into the scoring some, but being a stay at home defenceman doesn't make him bad. I like him, if he's willing to talk reasonable numbers hopefully he'll be back. America the beautiful Debatedly runner up in my opinoin as the best American playing in his position behind Chelios, Schneider is fantastic. He fits our style perfectly, he skates well and has a huge shot from the point that he's not afraid to use. He's also in my opnion one of the great "bankshot" artists that can careen the puck off the boards behind the net and send it right out front for scoring opportunities. If you watch VS you know when he's doing it because they call it a "horrible shot way off the net" . He does that and everything else in his position as good as anybody else, and better than most. He puts up quite a few PIM but alot of D men do, and his positives far outweigh that. I think if we don't ink a new deal with him I will have to recite the alphabet backwards until my head stops spinning and spewing vomit like the chick from the exorcist. The Options if Hasek goes (My top 4 for the sake of length) Jiggy - We would have alot of free money to consider this, Lang gone, no new ink for Calder. No deal or a modest deal to Bert or another fair priced FA pickup to replace Lang and we could make this happen. We would still have enough to pay Schneider / Markov / Cheli if they are interested provided we don't splurge filling Lang's spot. Its possible, not likely but possible, Jiggy I guess would command about 4-6 a year probably after his recent play. While it's possible, so is me flying to the moon, but I don't think that will or should happen, and I don't think we should spend on Jiggy either. The reason I say that, is I think it would cause stress to the payroll come time to resign some key guys down the road I.E. Clears, Z, Lidstrom, Draper, Lilija etc. etc. Nothing sucks more than losing guys you don't want to because you over extended yourself to pick up a star. If we could get him on the low end of 3-4 I say sure, but much more would be dangerous. Toskala - Would command alot less $ than Jiggy and probably allow us to do it and make better offers to Schneider / Markov / Bertuzzi etc. etc. while causing little to no stress in the future for resignings and retirement replacements. Howard / Ozzie duo - This would be risky, but if Howard crumbles under the pressure Ozzie is an NHL caliber netminder. Has he let in softies? Has he been questionable at times in the postseason? Perhaps, but every goalie has those moments, one thing every goalie doesn't have is 2 Stanley Cup rings. Would I be on the edge of my seat with Ozzie starting come April? Maybe, but it wouldn't be the end of the world, and who knows maybe Howard breaks out and really starts something. Backstrom - I dont' think the Wild will let him get away, it sounds like they are interested in making sure that doesn't happen. Im not sure what their payroll looks like so I wouldn't rule it out as impossible, but another unlikely. My winner? I personally think Toskala offers the best situation, he or Backstrom would bring the most power for the dollar. But I don't think Minnesota parts with Backstrom, and like some others suggested it could be Toskala's chance to really break out as a starter and a go to guy for the post season. The small pool of goalies in FA this summer will probably earn them all raises for sure, but we should be able to get him at $2-$3M per year depending on offers from other teams if thats the way things go. The Options if Hasek stays (Again, top 4 for the sake of length) Smyth - He would command high dollar, but he would be worth it. He would no doubt like the prospect of playing for a team of Detroit's history and standing, also its close to the Canadian border which may factor into his "at home" feeling. The problem I see with this deal is that when Hasek and Cheli finally retire, we may tie up more than we want into Smyth, leaving us short to deal with filling their voids. Also we could be short for resigning raises to our core group if we commit 5-6M a year to him. Drury - Well some would call him the face of the franchise in Buffalo, I don't see it happening, but free agency can make for some interesting occurances. My opinoin is like Smyth he would cost too much, they will both get generous offers around the league, and when Cheli and Hasek go we'll want some spare cash. Gomez - While he made $5M in NJ, I still predict he would be cheaper than Smyth and Drury, and would more than fill Lang's shoes. But at what price? If he talks reasonable numbers I like the idea, but I wouldn't go out on a limb to close a deal, much more than $3M would be iffy imo. Bertuzzi + Someone combo - He was clearly playing under %100 and he did a great job for what he was working with. So this choice represents him at 100% in a Wings jersey, with another FA to replace Lang, possibly one of the above. My winner? I like the 4th idea of getting Bert back for a reasonable price, and picking up someone (my choice would be Smyth) for a reasonable price, (reasonable being relevant to their caliber of play, so not cheap). But who wouldn't right? If Holland can make that happen it would be ideal, but it would be safer to pick up one or the other. If it went down to one or the other Smyth would make a great addition, and Hudler could pick up the lost ice time from losing Bert. Now if you've read this far go get a cookie, you deserve it..... Feel free to praise or question my logic and sanity or lackthereof in this post Let the criticism begin!

Yeah I agree, he was dealt a strange hand by the man upstairs, it really is a shame because of his talent on the ice but at the same time its a great thing that he is alive and well with or without hockey. While he was shaping up to be a future star in the league, good health and family is way more important than a game. Its sad, he pours his life's work into something, and sees the success, and knows that there is only more great things to come. Just to have it all cut short by something he has zero control over, and worse yet has it threaten his life. I would guess there is a mix of things surrounding his status as far as playing again. Some is probably physical, some is probably liability as far as team responsibility for his safety, and some is probably his own choice. Since I personally don't know him or what the intimate details of his condition are, my educated guess is that he probably has a significant chance of future problems if he puts his body under the load required to play professional hockey again. Knowing this he is probably waiting for the docs to tell him his chances of repeating that scinerio are slim to none, which probably won't be anytime soon. Real bummer, Fisch was that great presence on the ice that handles things that need to be handled, in spots where we seem to have a void at times right now. He would drop the golves in a heartbeat, and he could throw, on top of being a fantastic defenseman who could really skate and lay the body on. I'm just happy he's in good health and spirits, many people would be wallowing in self pity in his shoes. Yet every interview I see him in since his accident he has nothing but positive things to say. Good for him Who knows, maybe he'll have some breakthrough down the road, he is sorely missed and would be more than a welcomed face back on the bench.

This is definitely in order. This was my first year posting, but I've been a lurker for a long time, and keeping up boards so we can support our team is a tedious job. I for one really appriciate the effort you put into creating an outlet for our community of fans to meet and shoot the breeze. Thanks again.

I went to a game each round, and I think the best moment was definitely Dats winning it with 1:24 left. My ears were ringing all the way to the car it was so loud after that goal, great times. Also the autographed pucks charity on mother's day was a highlight, but game 2 against SJ takes the cake as the best.

Markov was solid this year, I would have him back so long as we don't over extend ourselves in the accounting department. As far as smoking, like alot of others said, you'd be suprised how many athletes do, and it sounds like a pre game ritual type of thing in his case anyway. It might threaten his health long term but thats his choice. If it was bad enough that it was a danger to his ability or career I don't think we'd have him aroundin the first place.

Duckette, You're one fan the Ducks don't deserve Maybe we'll see you again next year, good luck in the finals (even though Im rooting SENS!) Class act, it was good to have you.