VM1138

EXactly. The guy has a bad Game 7 and suddenly everyone forgets he was one of our best players throughout the playoffs two years in a row.

Bertuzzi seems to be one of those old-school hockey players. Mean as sin on the ice, and did something inexcusable, BUT he doesn't seem like a drama queen or a jack-ass off the rink. I've never heard any horror stories about him off-the-ice so I can only assume he's a decently likable guy. No problem with having him.

Meh, other than the Devils, Stars, Wings and Pens, they were all crazy one-hit lucky wonders who didn't even make playoffs afterward. So I'd rank Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, etc. all in a lump at the bottom of the pile and then rank the remaining like this: 1) Wings. We dominated the playoffs without ever really playing a full 60 minutes, and only lost by a single goal in a game seven, missing a couple of posts that could've tied or won the game. This against a "young and powerful" Penguins team that also had experience. I think it's pretty clear that the '09 Wings were the best losers of the decade. 2) Devils. Let's face it, the Devils were stacked. They've been a pretty damn good team for many years now, only struggling recently. 3) Stars. Again, they were pretty talented and stacked, and knew how to win. Like the Wings and Devils, they had two back-to-back finals appearances. 4) Penguins. They were a talented team, to be sure, and gave the Wings a few scares, but they never really had what it took. They were clearly a one-dimensional team with a lot more talent than the lower ranked teams.

It's not as pleasant or convenient, but now might be a good time to find a good streaming website.

Bad, bad bad idea McCarty. There are plenty of places in North America you could play. Playing in the KHL will do nothing but make you lonely and isolated, which will lead to the things that messed you up in the first place. I do find it interesting that the KHL, filled with weak, fast skaters, would be after someoen like McCarty, though. Unless Hudler told them to do it.

But I thought the Wings were just a bunch of Euro ******* who can't hit and as a result we would never ever win a Cup ever again?

Don't forget those multiple posts we hit during Game 7 as well. If just one of those had been an inch to the side that game would've gone to OT and the Wings would've had a shot, despite playing lazy defense, poor penalty killing, and their injuries. That's what irks me. Especially Lidstroms post with 10 seconds or so left. The Wings, despite playing half asses for the entire year, were only beaten by a single goal for the Cup by a healthy, young, energetic, talented team. The Wings are going to be out for blood this year.

McCarty, one of the most popular Wings ever. What else can you say? The guy never has to buy drinks anywhere in Detroit, or Michigan for that matter. He's a hero and I'm glad he got his life turned around before retiring. Hope he can get a gig with the Wings in the office or in the broadcast booth. I'd love to be listening to McCarty once Redmond retires for decades.

Yeah, no kidding. I'm pretty sure no one but Kindl has the potential to outdo Helm in the awesome department. EDIT: Woops, forgot about Ericcson and Leino. I see Larsson and McCollum being good for the WIngs, too.

That's a compliment to Helm. A prospect being compared to a guy (in a positive way) who hasn't even played a full season yet?

I really hope McCollum is the real deal and can be the Wings' Goalie-of-the-Future.

What surprises me is that San Jose, despite being run so poorly and having a massive accumulation of lazy talent, has such great regular seasons. One would think that if they replaced Marleau and Thornton with players who could actually perform under pressure (or in Marleau's case, perform at all) they would be in pretty good shape.

For the millionth time, tough teams don't win jack s*** if they don't have any talent. I'm so tired of people thinking "toughness=win." BALANCE= Win.

I don't think they will. He didn't hurt anybody. No fights, no threats, no prima donna attitude, just getting a little drunk and having a good time.

What happens if a team is run so poorly that they overpay players, get right up against the cap, and can't unload said players because no one wants to tae on ridiculous contracts? If SJ needs to unload a few big name players, what happens if no one wants to take them?

My friend was at this place either that night or the night before. Never heard of the place until he mentioned it and now I see this. I need to start going down there!

With Z and Dats playing together for most of the year (hopefully), there's no doubt they're both going to have career years in points.

Marleau over Lecavalier? How are these lines determined? Random drawing?

I was thinking today about people who claim Detroit isn't "Hockeytown" anymore. We all know the type. Well anyway, their usual attack is that the Wings fans aren't loud, or that the arena doesn't fill up anymore, or whatever else sort of asinine theory they come up with. But it occurred to me today that Detroit is Hockeytown, not RedWingstown (Which is what its critics tend to imply). Sure, the city may be down on its luck and the WIngs suffer attendance as a result, but really, the level of hockey interest goes beyond mere Red Wings. In Detroit and the surrounding region (since I'm not from within Detroit itself) I've seen many Penguins, Avalanche, Leafs, Wings, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, Sabres and yes, even Lightning fans. These far outweigh what I see in Steelers, Packers, Yankees, etc. clothing and hats around the region. So even if not everyone is a Wings fan, they certainly are hockey fans. I've traveled the country, and I've seen more of an accumulation of fans of many hockey teams than anywhere else. So give Detroit and the region credit, it really is Hockeytown. Random rant over.

Well, everybody knows you can't win unless you have a bunch of tough guys with little talent. Their D core is good, but they have virtually no offense and goaltending. Won't even make playoffs.

I would love to live anywhere near an NHL store.

Wow...that's awful. I'm not a parent but I imagine there's nothing that can compare with that. I'll keep the Theodore family in my thoughts.

Lidstrom unites us all.

Williams just throws everything out of whack. No matter what line you put him on it makes the line look horrible. And Leino, to me, really looks like an odd-man out. We know he has talent, but how best can we use him? I think for at least this season, it might be a rocky transition for him unless he develops really good chemistry with someone on the team. If he's stuck with Williams it could stunt him a bit. Man, Williams just messes everything up! I really look forward to the top two lines, and even the fourth, just to see what they've got.

Holland just said (see the other thread about lines) that Homer isn't expected to be in the Top 6. I think that's a smart move. We all know Homer can still tip the scales of the game, but he always gets brutally hurt halfway through the season and it affects him in the playoffs. Resting him throughout the season and then using him however Babcock feels he is capable of playing will do wonders for us in the playoffs. A healthy Homer come playoff time is a good thing. Plus, it gives Cleary more time to mesh with Datsyuk and Zetterberg.