VM1138

'02 vs Colorado. Legendary. '09 vs. the Ducks. Again. Legendary. '97 vs. Philadelphia. Sweeping the Legion of Doom to secure the title? Not the most thrilling series but for memorable nonetheless for the satisfaction. '08 vs Colorado. One of the coolest stories: A Single player (Franzen) scoring more than the other team in the entire series.

He just seems to lack heart. He doesn't really try out there, and almost every interview he gives always sounds like he's ready to leave any day now and is just finishing out the year.

I hate when people gang up on players unless they really deserve it (Lebda) but Franzen has been really frustrating this season. People shouldn't pretend that the Hossa/Franzen thing was really a choice. Franzen has been clutch for us every time we needed him, and has been clearly better than Hossa up until around December or whenever Hossa really started playing well.

Not sure why every fanbase thinks they need to throw dead fish out onto the ice. Or rats if you're Florida. Come up with something original. You already had the green men, Vancouver.

They really don't matter. Chicago can go 0-2 and still make playoffs if Dallas goes 1-1, which is extraordinarily likely given how they've played recently.

Unless, of course, they are the annual underdog that surprises everyone and goes to the Finals. I'm too superstitious in this to pick a team to face, especially with how inconsistent the Wings have been.

This thread is full of bad mojo. You do not pick your poison! I will not endorse wanting to play a particular team, but this statement has a ring of truth to it. The refs can screw Detroit all they want, ANaheim plays dirty enough where the refs simply couldn't ignore them enough to outbalance the Wings

I think this team can still do it without him. Honestly, it seems that Datsyuk and Zetterberg always step up when the other is out and play their best then. My biggest concern is Hank's PK skills. Every year in the playoffs the Wings spend half their games killing 5 on 3s, which Zetterberg does better than anyone in the league. So basically my concern is without Zetterberg the Wings will have trouble overcoming the refs terrible calls. This image just screams "I accept your challenge."

Not likely. All they have to do is match Dallas' record. Hell, Chicago doesn't even HAVE to win either of these two games and they could still make it in depending on what Dallas does.

Hm...with only Datysuk having any effect on the ice out of our forward Triumvirate of Franzen, Datsyuk and Zetterberg (injury) Datsyuk better be ready to carry the load come first round.

All I know is that the Wings do best when flying under the radar, like they are this year.

Hopefully none of them need to play, but if we do have injuries I see Mursak and Tatar coming up. Maybe Smith, if he's as good as they say, I don't see why we could risk starting Helm in the playoffs years ago and not Smith.

I forgot all about Marty Barry, how is he not on this list?

How is Hasek not higher? I know he wasn't a Wing for that long, but come on, even past his prime he was one of the greatest. And Maltby over Aurie? I know older players kind of get the shaft in lists, but Maltby was an excellent agitator and role player, Aurie was a superstar who did it all.

That could be the case, but the soreness was probably why they decided to scratch him since they had to scratch somebody, not some conspiracy about keeping him from getting a bonus that wouldn't affect Babcock in any way whatsoever like others have suggested.

My only disagreement is that I think Detroit finishes second and faces Anaheim in the first round.

Before the game I heard Modano was feeling sore, I never heard it was a "healthy scratch."

You must be drunk. Big E is not better than anyone on this team.

I see the argument for Zetterberg, if he hadn't been able to carry the team with Datsyuk out they'd be dead in the water. However, Datsyuk has just been amazing and integral to our success. It's amazing how the team goes from unsure of themselves to dominance. I honestly don't think Lidstrom has been MVP. I don't want to speak ill of him, but to outsiders it appears as if his leadership was lacking a bit. He's having a great year, no doubt, but nobody has carried this team like Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Helm should also be an honorable mention, but he's not MVP because he hasn't carried the team. The way he's so hard working and consistently making things happen out there makes me want to give him MVP, though.

Sucks for Jersey. I'm more interested in how the standings are ending up. It looks like the West is basically settled. I don't see Dallas cracking into the playoffs, so it's just a matter of whether or not Calgary can get in and the final order of standings.

Depends on where Nashville finishes, haha. Those games are too close for my liking.

It's hard to get up to play Minnesota because it's always so boring, so it's a hard game to judge, but they looked good out there. Kindl was really playing his ass off, which is a good sign. Here's to a great finish to the season and a stellar playoff run!

Me, too. If they are so unsure of whether Dats will play or not, err on the side of caution. It's not like the Wild are an offensive powerhouse.

I don't follow college basketball, either, nor do I care to.

Minnesota is not an offensive team, so I imagine MacDOnald gets the start. Probably will be a boring game but I hope the Wings show up to play. They need the division clinched and to start some good habits.