VM1138

Well, at this pace it should only take 5 or 6 years to break Ozzie's record!

The sudden anti-Zetterberg attitude on these forums is beginning to sicken me. How the guy went from untouchable to trade-worthy in the eyes of fans is beyond me. I shudder.

They've been pretty clear the past year or two that the next captain WILL be Zetterberg.

Man..aside from the ridiculousness of trading Zetterberg for anyone, the guy couldn't even make up an equivalent player to trade for? In what world would Zetterberg be given up for Weiss?

I don't want to start a thread for this, so I'll ask it here. Does anyone know how reliable Hockey-trades.com is? Just perusing some of their trade rumors and wasn't sure how big of a grain of salt to take.

Mursak's playing? Awesome, let's hope he brings something to the table.

I wasn't saying talent wise necessarily, but contract-wise. Plus, it's obvious Nashville will work harder to keep Weber.

Trade them both for an enforcer.

Orr and Lidstrom would make an unstoppable defensive pair. Lemieux-Howe-Gretzky seems to be an obvious choice for top line. Not sure there has ever been anyone better than those three. Orr and Lidstrom would only increase their offensive threat, while Lidstrom could also switch into steady shut-down defenseman mode. Goal would be trickier, since that position has changed the most over time. Sawchuck based on reputation. Hasek based on my own personal career of watching. I feel he was better than Roy and Brodeur, and he was way more fun to watch. Imagine having to face: Lemieux-Howe-Gretzky Lidstrom-Orr Hasek In their primes? Look out.

You are right, defense is key, but in previous years the lack of offense is what killed Detroit in the playoffs. The Wings are in the top tier but they just don't seem that threatening, even when they are winning. You never hear teams or commentators talk about how dangerous the Wings are anymore, or how amazing their game is. We've slipped into the upper end of average it seems like, even though we'll have another 100+ point season. Good enough for the regular season but we need some sort of killer instinct to go far in the playoffs. Basically, we need to prepare to face San Jose and Boston in the playoffs. I feel like we can handle any other team but facing San Jose is basically a certainty if we can get out of the first round.

They are going in the right direction, but you don't feel like something is missing? I think scoring has still been their achilles heel, as well as stupid defensive lapses. They've improved, but when push comes to shove, we haven't improved faster than other teams.

Being a little tired is no excuse for this. They are way too good to phone in a game against the third worst team in the league.

I realize Holland doesn't want to overreact since the Wings are technically up with the elite in the rankings, but I hope he doesn't be too complacent since they're not COMFORTABLY among the elite. Make a move soon so the new player will have time to gel before playoffs. Either give Joey Mac the backup spot or trade for a finisher and a backup goalie.

Frankly sick and tired of games like this. They seem to lose the games they should easily win. They really need to make a move for a second line sniper. Preferably one who can play the PP, our special teams aren't impressing me the past couple of years. I didn't get to see the first two and a half periods though, was it all Conklin's fault or is the team lacking heart?

Tatar is one of the Wings' best prospects and is slated as a top line player. He's going to be fantastic once he breaks through. Howard wasn't very good in the AHL, either. He's only dropped from top spot because Nyquist has had such a fantastic year in the AHL out of nowhere, really. I don't remember hearing much talk about Nyquist before this year.

It's matchups like this, against vastly inferior teams, that terrify me. The Wings have a tendency of not coming out of the gate firing. I wish Conklin would get a consecutive start, though. But here's hoping for 7 points for Datsyuk and a hat trick for Franzen or Zetterberg.

Off topic, but Marco Sturm is still playing? I thought he retired a few years ago. Man...Florida really is the place where hockey players go to get forgotten.

Too bad they can't fire their team.

Suter will still be a likely target if Lidstrom stays. We'll still have the money, and this summer is the best crop of free agent defensemen in years I think. So even if Lidstrom stays we'll still need someone to fill in and this will be our best chance to get one. Suter is a target no matter what.

The facts: We can't offer anything better than 28 other teams in the league. We don't have what Anaheim wants.

Conklin had some great huge saves. I hope he gets another start soon, maybe the next game? He had a little rust, but that was to be expected. Let's let him continue to work out the rust and give Howard a rest. I doubt Howard will go cold having to sit out another game. Hell, if Conklin gets that second win, start in 2 of the next 4. Let him get a streak going.

I know they WANT Lidstrom back, but I really don't think he comes back. He's only going to play so long as he feels that competitive urge. And if he's considered retirement twice already, he'll probably want to retire. But who knows, maybe he'll pull a Hasek and come back the year after. He could play another year, but it's about how he feels at this point. If he doesn't feel he can play at the top of his game, even if he's still better than everyone else, he hangs it up.

Isn't Olczyk a Chicago play by play guy? Who's bright idea was it to have him call a nationally televised game? He's always so biased it's ridiculous. Usually I roll my eyes at whatever they say, but their focus on the too many men call was not only irrelevant at that point, it was just in bad taste. I don't think I heard them say a positive thing about Detroit all night.

Suter is definitely the better option out of him and Weber, but to whoever suggested trading Stuart to San Jose I must wag my finger at you. Do you really want to wind up facing Stuart in the playoffs on a strong team like San Jose? Stuart is one of the better stay-at-home defensemen in the league, and always seems to make the crazy "I think I'm a goalie" stops when defense breaks down. I sure don't want to have the Wings play against him in the playoffs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzhBfBMPQGw&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLEBB9BCEC68DCCC68 Thought I'd share this, as you know I like to contribute historical-based links here, and I stumbled across this on Youtube. I like this video because it shows more than two second clips. This video actually gives you a chance to figure out what's going on. Awesome highlights. Not quite as good as a full game, which as far as I know aren't available anywhere this old. And 1955: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI8dToZKkLc&feature=autoplay&list=PLEBB9BCEC68DCCC68&lf=results_video&playnext=2 Love the speech at the end about how consistently awesome the Wings are. Sounds familiar!