Shockwave180

I remember when Matt unveiled this smilie the night before Game 5 in 2002. I've waited a long time to have a chance to use it again. Make it happen, boys.

The most amazing part of this story, for me, is the fact that a 19-year-old kid pre-emptively shelled out an EXTRA $300 for a spare ticket. That kid must have loaded parents or something. Regardless, he's an instant legend, and rightfully so.

What he said.

Great win. We weren't quite as dominant as in Game 1, but in the end, the result was the same. We're close. I can taste it now.

We didn't create a whole lot in the second, and Pittsburgh started moving the puck through the neutral zone late in the period. We need to tighten up. Still, I'd happily have taken a 2-goal lead after 40 before the game started...

I'm twitching already. Deep breaths. No predictions. Just win.

I've been supremely confident in this team all year, but anything can happen, especially in a sport where one bad bounce can change an entire series. I'm getting more and more nervous for tonight. Bring it on.

Ha, you know someone's been with a forum for a while when they were able to get the most obvious username before anyone else.

First of all, I'm fascinated by these accusations that the Wings are a soft, non-physical team. Have they watched this team play this year? Have they even heard of Kronwall? Did they notice that Datsyuk had more hits than anyone else last night? On a deeper level, though, this common complaint about "soft Europeans" infiltrating hockey and injecting their evil "skill" (gasp, shock, horror) into the game at the expense of lumpen cloggers like Tie Domi is not just xenophobic, it's stupid. I don't understand this reaction against skilled players; it's as if playing the game with finesse and elite ability is somehow destroying, instead of improving, the NHL. The funny thing is, I hear this about my English football club, Arsenal. Like the Wings, they have a roster filled with foreign (non-British) players who've brought a higher level of technical, watchable skill to the English game while eschewing some of the traditional English physicality; sometimes, it makes them vulnurable to an organized, defensive, physical team (much like Wings teams in the past), but overall, it makes them a much more fun team to watch on a week-in, week-out basis. But instead of applauding them for bringing new skill and finesse to their game, many English hate them because they don't employ enough "good honest Brits." Globalization is touching all aspects of life, including professional sports, and many people can't quite bring themselves to accept the change that they can't stop. And that makes them say some idiotic things. This guy isn't the first, and he won't be the last.

It's been quite a ride so far. I definitely miss Kevin Palzynsky's (sp?) Rinkside Ramblings; his columns during the '02 playoffs were epic. I still remember whole passages of them. I especially remember the "7th Heaven" headline after the Colorado series ended. Good times.

It's corrected now. Still quite a gaffe, though. I've met Helene Elliott briefly; she's the Kings beat writer for the Times, so she does know hockey. It's still a pretty inexcusable mistake.

I totally agree. The whole point of the game is to score, and when the puck hits the back of the net, it should generally stay there instead of bouncing right back out. It's much more satisfying as a fan.

I'm too lazy to dig it up right now, but remember when CPrice from LetsGoBlues made his annual appearance back in October and informed us that we didn't have any scoring depth and were kidding ourselves if we weren't worried?

That's a rare, fantastic article. Makes me proud to be a Wings fan, even if I'm not in Dallas.

You know, amidst all this criticism over a few empty seats at the Joe and suggestions that the Wings' home ice advantage is no more, people seem to be glossing over the fact that we're now 7-0 at home in the playoffs, and 13-3 over the last two years. Doesn't seem like it's upsetting the players at all, eh?

I agree, BM. I usually roll my eyes when fans suggest that a network is biased against their team (every fan group does it, after all, and as an aspiring broadcaster myself I tend to see things from the announcers' perspective). Still, Versus has been ridiculous at times this playoff season. And don't get me started on Eddie O; viewpoints aside, the guy's just not a good color announcer. Why he's half of their #1 pairing is beyond me.

With Mule out, tonight's win was a huge result. Here's hoping he's back by Game 5.

Looks like a good signing. It's not like the Wings' scouting department has given us any reason to doubt them in the past.

Not sure what you've been watching, frankly. None of Kronwall's hits have registered with you? Jeez, man, we hear the old "Wings are soft" crap from other teams' uninformed fans; I thought we'd been over this already.

Quenneville must have nightmares of the Winged Wheel. We've run him out of two consecutive jobs now. That said, he's never been a top-notch head coach anyway. He's a great assistant, but he doesn't seem to have that extra level to lead a team deep into the playoffs. Poor decisions at poor times. I'd feel mildly sorry for him, but after rewatching the highlights from that 2003 Wings-Blues brawl (when he sent all his guys out to goon it up with us up 6-2 late in the third period), I can only chuckle. See ya, Q. I hope we meet again.

Me doing play-by-play in Alaska last summer (rockin' the old-school handheld mike, thank you very much ). My baseball team picture from a couple years ago. I gotta get some more recent ones uploaded, but those'll have to do for now.

Graduation weekend for me, and I'm moving the next day. Have fun, you guys. And Jacqui, good luck with the surgery. Keep me posted.

I love Don. I don't always agree with him (especially when he goes into Leaf-homer Mode), but he's always entertaining. I remember during the '02 playoffs when he stated that "Detroit plays with honor, and that's why they're gonna win the Stanley Cup," and he was the greatest thing since sliced bread on these boards. The empty seats frustrate me too, although I don't think it's because of the style of play. This team is far more physical than any Wings team in recent history. I also take issue with the footage they showed of the Joe (which was obviously about twenty minutes before game-time when the arena was still mostly empty) and the fans chatting animatedly (which was obviously during intermission, not during the actual play). They could've simply shown the empty seats during the game (which were definitely there) instead of making distortive editing decisions.

Amen to all of that. But whatever. As I've said all season, the Wings will forceably earn the respect they deserve if they go on to lift the Cup. And if they don't, then I guess they didn't really deserve it all along. Just keep winning.

Good. I hope Rod continues to mess with Michigan "tradition." Because the only "tradition" we've had lately is one of employing stale, outdated tactics and training techniques and wasting five-star talent because of entrenched, mindless, inflexible "tradition." Rodriguez' job was to come in and change the culture of Michigan football and bring it into the modern era. If this is one of the small things he needs to do, so be it. My goodness. Oh, and BlakChamber, the only positive tradition we've had lately is breaking State's heart. So pipe down.