The Secret

You are right. The Pens new additions have really given them some strength and they seem to be playing together now. This years play offs is going to be insane... tonnes of good teams and sure to be tonnes of incredible match ups, I can't wait!

I agree with this. But it can be down right embarrassing too when the players in a physical game won't even defend themselves, not even on occasion. Fighting or not it is a very physical game anyway and it's a necessary ingredient for winning and for excitement. If this team keeps playing patty cake come playoff time guess whats going to happen then? How much excitement and momentum did the big Kronwall hits give us last year? Do you think they made a difference? Those types of hits get the crowd going, the team going and it makes the other team think alot more about Kronwall being on the ice then having a meathead like Downey sitting on the bench.

Because alot of us have been a fan of this team for a very long time. I have been since the early 80's and I will always be a fan even of they decide to ice team Sweden again next year... I will still prefer some changes to the team but I will always be a fan. Band Wagoners would jump to a new team but true blue's will stay and *****!

No, I do agree that there are enforcers out there that are employed just for their fighting but I don't think they are adding much to their respective teams. I'm not for a goon on our 4th line as I think a productive 4th line helps the over-all team and would rather a physical player that will still chip in occassionally with point as wells as fights. Hey, maybe Kopecky could become that but he has a very long way to go and should register for a Gold's gym membership, plus enroll in Probert's school for on ice-fisticuff's in the off-season.... don't hold your breath though.

No, were on the same page. I say "big bad Canadians" because If I am a homer for anything then I am a homer for Canadian players... I'm a Canadian, it's in my blood. I wouldn't want to necessarily fill our roster either, a good mix of NA and Euro is what I would like... to get the best of all worlds. But I agree that if our current group of players would add more physicality the over-all result right now would be much better and much more exciting. Franzen is huge, finish a damn body check... pretty sad when Helm who is way smaller is also way more physical and throws way better hits the Franzen. Or Kopecky, beef up man, put some size and strength on that frame and learn to use it.

Thats not the case at all. But the game has change alot from the hey days of Probert and Kocur and having a player like that on our team would not enhance it in anyway. My feelings on physical play are the same but I lean more towards Lucic, Getzlaf, Perrey, Weber.... who can and will hit, fight, score, and provide everything in a game rather then one thing in a game. I was a huge fan of Probert and Kocur and what they did for the team but it was such a different game and even they wouldn't make it very far in todays game.

Hey if you find it fun and exciting to watch your team get pushed and shoved around like a bunch of high paid pansies thats all you. I'd love to add of few of the big Canadians from the Ducks roster onto ours and would gladly get rid of some of our Euro talent to do so. Remove Filpula, Hudler & Samuelsson from our line up and add Getzlaf and Perrey and see the difference. Still have the puck possession but add a dimension to our team we currently don't have with our current roster.

OK.... then back to the subject Downey. I just don't think Downey brings anything to our team except a willingness to do what the rest of the team won't do. He is a meathead like Laraque, Brashear and Boogaard, but these 3 are good fighters. Anyway, there is no room in this game for meatheads like them and that is why a guy like Downey will never get more than a few games per year if he is lucky. He hasn't had a chance to show anything because he has nothing to show. He doesn't even bring much to that table in GR, he's not going to bring much of anything to this team and he will never have a regular role here.

You have a very good point here. I don't recall how Ericsson speed was I have gotten too see too much of him, is he faster?

This may be the one and only thing you have ever posted that I will agree with right now. Unless you are wanting to bench Osgood because he is Canadian and not because he is playing like crap... then I will disagree with as usual.

Definately has to do with the euro style which pretty well eliminates the fun to watch physical aspect of the game. Not even just fights but guys finishing their checks. How fun is it to watch Flipula get pushed around like a little fairy, or even big Franzen turn away from instead of delivering bone crusher. Maybe some find it exciting to watch Samuelsson giving gum jobs instead giving someone a shove to the ice. My solution.... more big bad Canadian boys that can play and play rough. Have our scouts start mining Canada and US for some of the deep round gems. Wings fans are starved for a physical presence in our team. That would liven things up for me. That have having a goalie with style unlike everyone else like Hasek brought... I hate boring butterfly goalies.... goalies are not exciting to watch like they once were.

I like the pairing of Chelios and Ericsson. Maybe come playoffs they can alternate Cheli and Ericsson with Lilja. Lebda has played better since being benched but I prefer to see Chelios or Ericsson in there.

Wow, how anyone see's that as Lilja beating the s*** out of Phaneuf just shows how blind homers can be.

I still think Osgood will earn his spot on the bench and Conklin will earn his spot on the ice. Just my feeling so far, Osgood is going to have to get to stealing a few games on his own to get the spot back in my opinion, doesn't look like he is up to the challenge.

Wait, you are also the one that promotes Lilja as our "enforcer".... Lilja the one that started a fight with Weber and got his ass knocked out by enforcing with the technique Bruce Lee invented called "the art of fighting without fighting." See how that worked out for him. And since you claim to have seen all of Probert and Kocur's fight and you still consider Lilja and Downey as enforcers then I'm not sure how I can take anything you say seriously with regard to this subject.

How about Laraque, Brashear, Boogaard, Lucic... there are enough big time fighters left in the league and many many that are way better then Downey. Anyway I don't see a need for a plain old meathead in the game today. We need players like Lucic, Getzlaf and Perrey that can and will hit and fight when needed but that can also contribute to the over all game. Downey doesn't have anything else to offer except that he will drop the gloves. He doesn't intimidate anyone nor does his presence deter anyone from taking their shots at our players that matter... in order for him to even have a chance to do that he would have to be playing with the players that matter most and that will never happen because he is a terrible hockey player.

You mean if he wasn't a mediocre fighter he would have been destroyed by Cam Janssen. He fought Cam Janssen, the fight went on for a while but was in no way even close to being the victor, Janssen got the better of him from what I saw.... that was the fight of the year on a team with no good fighters. Dig up some old Probert and Kocur fights to see what real fighters look like. I can't think of one fight that I have seen Downey in that I could say he clearly won, or kicked the opponents ass. He's ******* Kin Kong in comparison to anyone on this team and that is more of an insult to him then anything else... he's the only fighter we have and he is not good at it.

I'm The Secret and I endorse this correction.

Downey is a terrible hockey player, is a mediocre fighter (that's being generous), and offers little in terms of value to a team besides playing with the grit and being good in the locker room, apparently.

Hahaha, this is a perfect idea. Probie had trouble bring his illegal inspiration over the boarder but you can buy Vodka at the gas station on the way to the game in Michigan can't you. Shoreline might be onto something here. Funny stuff.

I want some good Canadian boys 1st and foremost... then some Yankee's. We need more North American Influence in our style of play. Some more players willing to play hard at every aspect of the game including hitting, sticking up for one another, and fighting if necessary.

Keep the Franz, trade Fullapoohlah.

IF Kopecky continues and actually turns into a consistent worth while hockey player I will quit my career in IT and become a Crow cook & salesmen for the Joe..... "Get your crow heeeeeere. Fresh hot crow heeeeeeere. Anyone? Anyone? The is best Crow in town folks, guaranteed!". ....somehow I am not worried about this quite yet.

Who cares, just retire already. He hasn't been playing all year why would you want to come all that way to say "I want to make an announcement... I'm officially not here to play anymore. THE END". Good player or not, its getting annoying.

I think we have everything we need already on the team to get us to the finals again. A piece like Neil or Roberts to be added for depth and grit would have been cool too but so long as out current roster can evelvate to play off level as they have in the past I think we have everything we need to bring home the gold again. This off season will provide us with some roster changes whether we like it or not.