VM1138

The point is that neither Ericsson or Kindl, even in their best games, gives us any reason to think they'll be anything more than roster fillers in their careers. They provide nothing that makes them integral to the team's success. I don't think either one truly sucks, but that both have been a disappointment for what people were expecting of them.

Agreed. Keep it relative to things that have actually completed their circuit. For instance, if one player does something amazing that lets a team into the playoffs, then it's okay, but more recent than that is just silly. Keep it for great history moments most people would recognize.

It's at the point where we need to start seeing results on the ice. Other than Babcock, it seems like the team is just a tad complacent. Apparently even they don't know how to fix it. We just have to hope that they have the "On" switch they've had in the past.

God I hope Smith doesn't turn out to be a waste like Ericsson and Kindl have. And, I just have to say, Howard has looked great lately. This was the first game in a long time that the team actually screwed him over instead of the other way around.

All I know is that I learned a random historical fact today that a man named Abd-el-kader was a North African rebel in the mid-19th century that caused quite a ruckus. Connect that to Abdelkader's hockey play however you see fit.

I will say this about Kindl, he looks good jumping up in the play and then GETTING BACK ON DEFENSE quickly. Something Ericsson could learn from. EDIT: I would hesitate to use stats to say Kindl is better than E, though. I mean, really. You're comparing 2 pts to 1 pt, and -2 to -1? That's not exactly a huge discrepancy in quality stat-wise.

The scary thing is that in recent years the Wings always have trouble with the crappy teams and dominate the best teams. Yet this year they seem to have trouble with the good teams, or at least the teams they could face in the playoffs, while only dominating the sub-par teams. An analysis of records against teams this season will probably disprove this theory, but that's how it seems anyway.

Good God the Wings need to work on their powerplay. With the powerplay specialists we're supposed to have, there's no excuse for being so bad on the PP. It was a great game, the Anaheim games usually are, just wish it would've ended a bit better.

I'll stick with from '00 on, because before that I just watched hockey and didn't really get into the finer art of prediction. 2000: Honestly didn't expect much. 2001: I expected a bit more than 2000, that LA series just about killed me. 2002: It was sort of a foregone conclusion that they would win it all. 2003: At the start of the season I expected them to win it all but before long it just didn't feel like it would happen. 2004: Same goes for '03. 2005: Lockout 2006: Thought for sure they would win it. It seemed like they were destined for it, even moreso than in 2002. 2007: Felt really good about our chances, considering the "chip on their shoulder" storyline and that Anaheim series. 2008: Felt like it was destined to happen, and it did. 2009: During the regular season I didn't see how they could win it all, but once playoffs started it began to feel inevitable that they would win. 2010: Was seriously concerned about just making playoffs. Something felt off, even once they got healthy. 2011: Something just feels off. I want them to win, but they've been so inconsistent that I don't have that feeling that it's a foregone conclusion. Hope that changes come playoff time.

Man, congratulations to Franzen and all, but is it our team that seems to attract the weirdos? Zetterberg had a wedding where everyone had to wear white and black striped leotards, Franzen names his kid this, and Kronwall wears Harry Potter glasses.

I see this so often. I remember when Sykora said he would get the game winning goal a few years back in the Finals during that tie, I knew it was all over, and then he went and scored. It usually works out that way, whoever the announcers point out during a broadcast usually ends up having a good game.

I was walking through the library yesterday and I came across a book on the first season of the Might Ducks. It actually looked pretty interesting. I didn't check it out but I plan on reading it in the future. Really weird that it was in a Michigan library, though.

Coming off a huge Wing victory. Things never go wrong in the games following blow-out wins, do they?

Damnit, I got all excited thinking there was a game tonight!

Stuart should get an A. He gave a bunch of interviews earlier this season and really sounded like a captain. He was articulate, said the right things and seemed to have some sway over his teammates. I'd like to see (whenever Lidstrom does retire, probably another year or two in the future) Zetterberg with the C, Datsyuk and Stuart with the A. That is, assuming Draper is retired.

Paul Woods IS TERRIBLE. Ken Cal is great, but my God Paul Woods is just a mumbling, stammering, walking nightmare. You know who else is terrible? The Saginaw Spirit radio guys. I can't listen to their broadcasts, at all, which makes me miss a lot of Spirit games.

The idea of half of our defensive core being made up of Ericsson, Kindl, and a rookie Smith absolutely terrifies me, even if Big E and Kindl have been decent this season. EDIT: On a side note, we're only 3 points behind 1st place in the league now, time to make that push!

I think people see that the Wings are consistently at the bottom of the pile in PIM and assume the league helps them, when in reality they just play a clean game. But the Wings constantly get screwed by bad calls at the worst possible times. I won't say there's a conspiracy against Detroit (except from O'Halloran) but to suggest there's a conspiracy in FAVOR of Detroit is even more ridiculous.

I wouldn't read too much into the meltdown at the end, but it does take a lot of the fun out of the win. How it went from 7-1 to 7-4 in a matter of minutes just deflated me. It seems like Howard misses a lot of chances to bring is GAA and save % down.

It'll be Zetterberg, for his "intangibles." Datsyuk has earned the A, but Zetterberg is just one of those guys who does absolutely everything. He leaves it all on the ice (so does Datsyuk) like Yzerman used to, but he has more of the aura of the never-say-die attitude than anyone else on the team.

Agreed. Since this is probably a trend thanks to the Cap, I think we better stop getting excited over the trade deadlines.

Is Anaheim just completely replacing their team these past few weeks?

It's not too outrageous. If he continues to be inconsistent it's not implausible that a team could take him and that salary off. We paid him enough to stay, but not enough to make him an albatross. Hope he can improve his consistency and his tendency to lay down on the ice whenever he sees the puck. I've never seen a goalie spend so much time falling over or flat on the ice on the first save.

EDIT: Nevermind, I think I misunderstood.

To listen to Pens fans Letang is the greatest defenseman to ever play the game. Yes, I actually did see this posted in several places a few months ago. And posted a lot.