VM1138

I hope Colorado loses. That will make it easier for the Wings to jump into 7th, then we can deal with LA later.

It's not fair to dismiss people's bitching about Crosby's dirty plays simply because Ovechkin does it, too. Why? Because Ovechkin actually gets punished for his transgressions. The league wouldn't suspend Crosby if he intentionally jammed his skate into a player's throat. They'd just call him "competitive."

THis season is winding up much better than it started. Despite fighting for 8th seed I think Detroit can hang with any team in the league. They're getting into playoff mode just in time so that by the time the playoffs start, the rust should all be gone. We just have to hope that there won't be any bizarre shocks that vault Calgary ahead of us. Tonight's game will go a long way toward determining how this team will finish. Games are running out and a win against Pittsburgh would be a statement that this team is serious.

I don't know the correct Swedish pronunciation but everyone I've ever heard talk about him (except for the occasional retarded national broadcast commentator) calls him "Fron-zen" which I like better than "Fran-zen" which sounds like you have a bad cold or a New York accent. EDIT: So judging from the grammar rules of you Swedes and knowledgeable people, it's actually pronounced: Yo-HAHN Fron-ZUN? Is that right?

Have you all forgotten that combing Zetterberg and Datsyuk doesn't work anymore?

Flip should be traded next year. He has talent, but he's just not working for the team. He has no chemistry, can't score, won't shoot, among other criticisms. We could someone decent for him, and the WIngs should trade up for a scorer who might work out better.

Their play since the Olympic break has put them in a good situation. Edmonton was not necessarily a MUST WIN. They're tied for 8th with a game in hand. As long as they don't make a habit out of this losing thing, they'll be okay. They are four points out of 6th place with a game in hand. Don't blow many more games and they can finish as high as 6th relatively easily. Oh, and Murph always sounds drunk.

Babcock had to think about it. He wrote down Datsyuk and Williams immediately without hesitation, but he waited about 5 seconds as his pen hovered on the page before he picked Flip. I don't know why he doesn't go with Franzen. Howard really blew that shootout though. The second goal should have been stopped. I missed pretty much all of the game before this because I had to go somewhere, but at least the Wings got a point. They're certainly not going to get a cushion for a while, and their inability to win 4 in a row is disturbing. EDIT: Oh, and to all you saying "playoff teams don't lose to s*** teams like Edmonton." Yes they do. In fact, the '02 Wings, if I recall correctly, made a bad habit out of getting torn apart by weak teams.

Just got home from work and turned on the game. Wow, is it really as bad as it looks? And what is with the TV feeds lately? The Calgary game and now this one look and sound really weird. Are they in a closed booth or something? There's very little crowd noise (even when the crowd is loud) and the audio sounds muffled. Those Canadian feeds suck man. Somehow though, I'm nto entirely surprised they're losing to one of the worst teams in the league when they need to win, and when the teams they need to lose have won.

This is the problem. They're not building a real sustainable fanbase. Even if they could manage to keep winning year in and year out (which, let's face it, they'll probably go back to a bottom feeder in coming years), they still face attendance problems. It's great that they win but what's the point if nobody's watching? Let's just hope their good play only increases their sale value so that someone will move them.

Man...if McCarty agreed to bury the hatchet, this really is the resolution of the rivalry after many years. If the hate is gone between those two of all players I guess that's that. Weird.

This game scares the hell out of me. It SHOULD be a simple win, but the way this season has gone nothing can be taken for granted. They could either win, or take their feet off the gas pedal and blow it, thus costing them their one game advantage on Nashville and Calgary and breaking their mojo. Please, please, please, please, please win. Please.

It all hinges on Lidstrom's decision, but I think the odds are very good at a big-name signing. The only reason one wasn't made last year was because the Cap pretty much had Holland's hands tied. I think we see Williams leave for sure. He was a stop-gap measure and his spot could be given to an impact player. Bertuzzi MIGHT come back. He's played solidly but Holland may want to try and improve the team rather than just hope he has another good season. Eaves and Miller get resigned, I think this is a no brainer. Along with Helm these guys are our replacements for Draper and Maltby. Not saying that Draper and Maltby won't be around next year, just that eventually they won't be and we need those kids when the time comes. I think Holland's summer signings have worked out better than anyone could have hoped (with the exception of Williams), so I think they'll largely stay intact. But I do expect Holland to make some sort of splash to give this team a much needed offensive edge.

I just hope the Wings keep playing well. This year nothing can be taken for granted, but their schedule certainly LOOKS favorable. Let's just hope they beat Edmonton.

I agree with you, but it's actually easier than all that. All Hudler wants to do is come back. He's already under contract so there wouldn't need to be a signing per se.

Never, never, never pick your poison.

Hopefully he realizes his team sucks and he'll come back to the Wings next season.

Well, I don't think we'd be the first 7th or 8th seed to win the Cup. Just sayin...

Osgood stays. He'll recover from this season. Remember, it's rare to have a goalie that is consistently good from their rookie year to their second. Howard may very well be terrible next season and the team needs a real backup plan. I'd rather have Ozzie who we know bounces back when he struggles (at least when given the chance) as a backup.

Ericsson looked good the other night with Lilja. I think, like you said, the common denominator is Lilja. God we missed him, didn't we? He's looked so good out there.

I've got a bad feeling about the Calgary game Monday. This team doesn't do 3 game win streaks. So either we lose to Buffalo or to Calgary, unless tonight's great 60 minute game is the start of the Playoff Wings.

Helm is really the hardest working Wing, night in and night out. The kid is amazing.

I'm generally avoiding this place now during games because for some reason when I get on here during a game they lose. But since they're playing so well I think it's safe for tonight, so I pop in once in a while. But yeah, it seems really slow tonight.

And the adthe feed just crapped out...

I guess any list would have to consist primarily of players that I've personally watched. 1. Steve Yzerman (surprise!) 2. Pavel Datsyuk (the man is magic) 3. Darren McCarty (for single handedly sparking a great sports rivalry and being a Mo-Town hero) 4. Igor Larionov (Honestly I don't have a specific reason. I just always liked him as a player) 5. Chris Chelios (Best American to play and fun to watch in his prime) 6. Brendan Shanahan (Man I miss hearing the Irish jig) 7. Chris Osgood (Class act all the way) 8. Dominik Hasek (He was frustrating as hell sometimes but in the end I look back on his tenure here as good times overall, and pure entertainment to watch) 9. Ted Lindsay (Wished I could have seen him play) 10. Gordie Howe (Same as above, these two were only ranked so low because I've never seen them personally play) Honorable Mentions: Zetterberg, Helm (Haven't seen anyone work that hard in years), Slava Kozlov, Konstantinov. I was really excited about the Derian Hatcher signing years ago, too, and I imagine he would have been one of my favorites...you know, if he actually ended up playing. EDIT: Oh, Pat Verbeek! I have this vivid memory of him taking out someone twice his size right at the faceoff back in 2001 if memory serves. I honestly don't remember much more than that but that alone has reserved a spot in my hall of Wings memories for some reason.