55fan

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

And they generally don't come in multiples of 3, although that would be cool in the Cap Era.

In terms of prevention, enforcers are like condoms. You can use a condom 82 times in a year (not the same one with the condoms, of course), and you have no idea what it prevented. You just know that the fact that you are wearing one means that your chances are much more in your favour. You feel safer with one. Maybe nothing would have happened, but you don't know how many times something bad was prevented, so you keep using one. Like condoms, enforcers don't prevent everything, and they can't undo the bad things that happen, but when is the last time a condom went out and beat up the guy who gave you gonorrhea? ETA: I just realized that I have been mixing gender perspective. Please edit to fit your gender and preferrence. Thank you.

That's hilarious, although number 3 had me confused until I realized it should have been players' missing teeth. Then it made sense. I mean, if we had missing players, how would we know where their teeth were? Canadians should be the only ones allowed to wear skates. Get rid of the helmet rule. More fights. Never underestimate the power of a wonderbra.

Only if they change the cards: Niklas Kronwall Detroit Red Wings 5,5 Flying, Trample The Joe is Red Mana, of course. Not sure what a Homer card would be. Probably some sort of an attacking wall.

Meh, he's ok. No goals in the playoffs, though. Trade him. That $3 mil/year is wasted if he's sitting on IR. Soft Euro. Can't win anything with soft Euros. He's holding back the young talent in GR. I love it. I will be the one to say "I told you so." Those doubters can eat Crow-nwall. Suck it, boys! I really needed to be a ***** tonight since I didn't get to rip a guy's nuts off at work. Thanks for giving me that opportunity. Back to the praise of my favourite Wing.

Sammy is willing, we just have to teach him how to do it properly. Give Downey the contract. Hire Mac as the Enforcer Coach. (Or the other way around if they would prefer it.) Someone said Q has been working out with Downey this summer. Does anyone have a link to that? IIRC, the person who said it didn't have a link, but others had read it as well. I've only seen one video of Kronwall fighting. Let's just say it would be best for team morale if he kept his gloves on.

As I understand it, the Black Aces are considered Cup Champions with all the rights and privaliges (riding in the parade, team pic) for the Championship Summer whether they are on the Cup or not; but not considered Cup Champions when being considered for the HOF or other official stuff, in which case one needs to have one's name engraved on it. So, those of you who don't feel a person should touch the Cup unless they've earned it: What do you think of the players' families or cases where they take the Cup to a hospital or some place for a visit with someone who is fighting something far more grueling than a sports championship? In a way, I think these people have earned it, and kids get a free pass until they're in Juniors. That's my opinion, anyway.

Go with Hudler. Even if Hank and Emma go through with it, you'll have a great time at the post-service party. Let's Go Red Vings!

Too bad this came out before the BIG news of the summer. Hank and Emma! Wow! Ok, Hossa would still have won. That floored pretty much everyone, even if they had made a case for why it could happen. This is almost as lopsided as if we'd had a poll asking "what was the biggest news of the post-season?"

Hello, Doc. Pleased to meet you. Step into my house, past the Lions welcome mat. I'll pour you a drink into one of my many Lions glasses (using a Lions shot glass to pour, if you're so inclined) and we can chat about how I'm still head-over-heels in love with Jeff Chadwick. Or we can discuss the Wings, whichever you prefer. I'd invite you to spend the night (you could use my Lions pillow and blanket) but I don't know your gender, so we'll just skip that idea. We'll just have a nice chat instead.

I can't argue that point. They have survived without Howe, Yzerman, Sawchuck, Vladdie... and will survive without Lids, Hank, Dats, Ericsson... I can also survive without Windsor (the beverage, not the city), it's just not as pleasant.

Lids and Raf are great team leaders. With Cheli as #8, he can give the #5, 6, and 7 guys individual attention and instruction for improving their games. Lids and Raf will be playing their own game. With the minutes they log in a game, they don't need to be keeping an eye on the kids. Cheli will be in the press box watching unless people are injured, in which case he'll be on the ice with the least of the d-men and can be to them what he was to Lebda (heck, it may still be Lebda). Saying Cheli is good as a leader is not taking anything away from Lids and Raf. It's adding an extra dimention to what they do. With Cheli as #8, we get it for cheap without having our kids that need playing time rotting in the press box.

Wrists, back... one or the other will be causing problems. Of course, Emma is no ordinary housewife, and Hank has the money to hire medical personnel should he need it. (Hmm, wonder if that's tax deductible as a medical expense.) He'll be fine. Besides, once the babies start coming, he won't have time for that. He'll be too busy setting up a little rink in the back yard.

I was aware that 2-way simply meant different pay. My line of thinking was that I had heard if he hadn't made the team (as in Wings) he would automatically be a UFA (whereas he's normally be RFA) and would be exposed to waivers. I was wrong on this point. He just has to have a signed contract by the start of the season or that will happen. The type of contract doesn't matter. Thanks for pointing this out to me (and for doing it nicely!).

Go for the chocolate suede with white eyelet trim at the cuffs and collar. He likes that one.

Oh, no you don't! I saw him first! Just kidding. Seriously, this is good for the team. Hank says Emma is a good cook and keeps him well-fed. For a guy who tends to get a bit skinny as the season rolls on, and is in a profession where calories are burned at a high rate, this is a good thing. Way to go, Hank. Lock her up for the long-term contract.

Best grab a snack and hit the bathroom if need be. This could get long. I think we're all in agreement that the top 4 d-men are sewn up. For the purposes of this discussion, let's go with Kenny's statement that there will be 13 forwards and 8 d-men. I am not going to speculate on who the 13 forwards will be, only that there will be 13 of them. Having only 13 forwards is only a good idea if a 14th forward is at hand, perhaps doubling as a #7 d-man. Welcome to the roster, Mr. Meech. The question now is who will be in the #5, 6, and 8. Our options will be Quincey, Lilja, Lebda, Ericsson, and Cheli. I do not think that at this point in his career Cheli is a viable #5 or 6 for the whole season. He just doesn't have that many games in him. The other 4 options will be fighting for these spots at training camp. It is possible that Meech may outplay them for the 5 or 6 spot. Either way, he'll still be the #14 forward on call and someone who would have been #5 or 6 will be 7. Clear as mud? Good. Let's move on. I'm specifically looking at the #8 spot here. What is expected of the guy in that role? He has to practice with the team and sit in the press box unless either two d-men are injured or a d-man and two forwards are injured. Either of these situations may happen, and indeed may happen more than once during any given year. It is unlikely that the #8 d-man will get in more than half of the games in the season. I doubt he will even play 30. So who is the best candidate for skating in practice and sitting in the press box? Lilja and Lebda still have careers ahead of them. Neither has the "hockey smarts" that Cheli has, and Lilja makes about $400,000 more than Cheli (roughly). It wouldn't pay to have Lilja sitting when Cheli can sit for less and do as well in the 20-some games he would actually play. If Lebda is the one who sits, I could see him asking for a trade to a team where he could actually get some more ice time. I may well be wrong on that. He may find it more pleasurable to be a small fish in the big pond. Aside from Cheli, Lebda is the one that I could see as the best #8 guy if he is beaten out for the #5 and 6 spots. Ericsson and Quincey would be wasted at the #8 spot. Ericsson can still go down for a year without waivers. If Quincey signs a 2-way, he can play in GR and get the experience there, although he would have to clear waivers. So, in my opinion, Lebda would be the only one of the other 4 who would be financially feasible as a #8 without wasting talent development time. He doesn't bring the mentoring and experience or hockey smarts that Cheli does. Cheli can still do the 20-some games required of a #8 d-man, while taking a relatively small amount of money and bringing in the intangibles. When he is called up to play, he has the leadership skills needed to be a steadying force if we should lose someone in the top 4. Remember, the #8 guy would only be playing if we are decimated by injuries. When this happens, a strong personality with leadership is needed to guard against morale loss. We are fortunate to have a lot of veteran players, but in cases where the team is "battling through adversity", more is better. Even when he is called up, the #8 guy will only be playing #6 minutes. Cheli can still do that for the small number of games he will be required to play. If Cheli were being considered for one of the top 6, or even #7, I would say that he just doesn't have it, but for a #8, I think he's the best option. Thank you for listening. Please feel free to take a break for food or bathroom, if you have not done so already.

...And the hearts of millions of girls around the world simultaniously break. Good for them. May they have many happy years.

Cheli is like an extra coach on skates. He is willing to be an 8th d-man, which basically means that he will spend time on the ice in practice and occasionally in games when needed. It doesn't sound like much from a playing perspective, but if a d-man goes down, we've got a guy who, when rested and not injured, is still able to get the job done. If we have another time like last February (minus Cheli's broken leg, of course), Cheli provides on- and off-ice leadership at a moment's notice. You just don't get that kind of depth for that price anywhere else. Dollar for dollar, the total package that Cheli brings to the table is one of the best deals out there, and he's been giving us that deal for years. I went to a Wild game last year and when the guys were skating around for warmups, a Wild fan next to me was yelling at Cheli to "retire already" when he skated by. The guy was nice and friendly and a season ticket holder who was kind enough to tell me where everything was since it was my first game. I asked if he really thought Cheli should be done with hockey. He laughed and said, "no, I just want him off the ice. He's still dangerous." If Cheli were still demanding top dollar, then, yes, I would say he doesn't have what it takes, but for the price, he's still a good deal. ETA: I was typing this post at the same time as the one above, so I didn't know at the time that mentoring was not a valid point. I had assumed that the top 4 guys would be busy with their own game.

I've been a Lions fan for over 40 years in parts of the country where Vikings fans and Packers fans are the majority. My dad was a Lions fan before me. He says it builds character. According to dad: Lions motto #1: We're not mathematically eliminated yet! (Feb-Nov) Lions motto #2: There's always next year! (Nov-Feb)

Nah, we sign them all to small contracts with insane bonuses for the playoffs (which don't count until the playoffs, and can be counted towards next year's cap), then we rotate everyone who makes $4mil+/year on "conditioning stints" in GR (2 weeks each, no clearing waivers, don't count against the cap) for "middle body injuries" or some such thing. All that money off the cap, everyone is more rested for the playoffs, win the Cup, pay off the bonuses with the money saved by the conditioning stints, and There You Have It. Yes, I'm kidding. I'm playing along with the "let's keep the boards alive since we're all bored members" theme.

That photo looks photoshopped. Yes, I know it's real and I'm not questioning it. It's just... Scotty... in a Blackhawks jersey. It's kind of like seeing your grandma in a bikini. Or at least my grandma. Yours may look just fine, but for me it's just wrong. Or your grandpa. It just doesn't ring true. Perhaps his thinking is that if his son doesn't fare well health-wise, Scotty can step in whilst he makes his recovery. I do think he's right to put family first. And, yes, I'm a Robert Lang fan. As long as he's not in a bikini.

I looked it up. Kyle has been in for 3 seasons, and 26 NHL games (regular and playoff). To be exempt from waivers at the age of 22, he would have to have played for fewer than 3 years and 70 games. He has the games, but this is his 4th year, thus he would be exposed to waivers. Thanks FinWing for the link.

I am sad. Thank you, Scotty, and all the best to you and your family. I'm still getting over losing Lang to them, and now this.