VM1138

Holy crap, I never realized how similar Lord ****** and Robert Lang look in that picture before.

The one good thing about this years team, all year long, is that they show up for big games. For all the flaws (that they largely seem to have gotten over), they seem to be able to turn it on at will.

Missed the game. Relieved to see that we won, and by a large margin. Love it! I feel so much better about our playoff chances lately.

Neil is the name I hear mentioned most all over the place. Rumors have a way of being wrong 99% of the time, so I don't know if we'll get him. But he's certainly the most talked about from the Wings fans P.O.V. EDIT: Does Hossa have any friends back in Atlanta? That might be a good indicator. I doubt the Wings will stand pat, judging from comments Holland has made, but we A) Won't deal for a goalie and B) Won't make a major deal. Depth. Whether it's D or some gritty offense, is the name of the game. If we add either one we will probably get rid of someone, whether it's our style or not. There's just not enough room. For example, if we get Havelid, we have to bump down Kronner or Stuart. Unlikely and those two don't deserve it. More likely is we somehow get rid of Lebda to make room. Perhaps Lebda for a low pick from a team in need of a speedy defenseman?

Ah, okay, that makes sense.

Can't believe I have to miss this game because of work. I was looking forward to watching. Too bad it's not a late game. Hope the Wings step it up a notch like we know they can and take care of San Jose Stanley Cup champion style.

I could be seriously mistaken, but seeing how Helm, Abdelkader, Leino, Ericcson and Howard are the only ones who have been called up in the last two years, shouldn't that automatically make them Numbers 1-5? I don't follow the prospects as closely as I should, and I know that a lot of people like Kindl and whatnot, but if they were expected to be the best, wouldn't they have been the ones to get called up?

Datsyuk, without a doubt in my mind. Ovie is flashier and mroe of a pure goal scorer, but Datsyuk is an equal offensive threat. You don't want to be on the ice playing against his line, even if he was playing with high schoolers. Datsyuk also plays EVERYTHING. PK, PP, ES, and is on the ice for every crucial moment. I think Datsyuk also plays a little bit less a game, while maintaining the same threat level. Yes, Datsyuk. It's close, but Datsyuk being the whole package pushes him over Ovie's goal-scoring awesomeness.

That is awesome. I'm so happy we have the players we do. Class acts, all of them.

Yeah, we all know how change for the sake of change is turning out...

I haven't heard anything, but I was always under the impression that it wasn't that serious.

""Like it or lump it, that's what he does," Crosby said. "Some people like it, some people don't. Personally, I don't like it." What the hell does "Like it or lump it" mean? Also, I love how they say Crosby doesn't like Ovie's "showmanship" which no one has a problem with. Code for: "I don't like that he gets more attention than me."

He looks really uncomfortable in some of thsoe shots, but overall one of his better public appearances. Love the random sprinting though. And why would someone want a hockey player to endorse shoes? Love that he's getting more exposure, though.

Awesome news. I feel bad for the likes of Maltby, though. Played in the playoffs every year with the Wings and now suddenly he might just....not be in them.

What the hell? Why are they sending him down? Ozzie needs this time to recover more than the Griffs need Howard. Howard should've stayed up as a backup to Conklin. They had an opportunity to get Ozzie back on track and they might have lost that chance.

Haha, something like 35 of the 39 posts said Datsyuk, with a bit of love for Lids, Z, Rafalski and Maltby. Great stuff!

I think the Wings would win, and here's why: Simiar in almost every way, the Wings are much deeper than the Caps and if our defense ever showed up to play like we know they can, game over.

But they want people to think that a bunch of intense grown men playing the most intense game on earth never say anything mean to each other in the heat of the moment.

If the Caps ever get their defense to play better defense, they will be the team in the East with the best chance of winning. God I'd love to see Ovie lift the cup before Crosby. That being said, the Cup is going to Detroit or San Jose.

Exactly. I think a lot of people aren't aware of Howard's history. He's not among the best of the AHL goalies. He has what, a 2.5 GAA? Which is all fine and dandy, but in NHL stats that's probably a 3.5. He's very, very streaky. We all want Howard to succeed, nobody has any ill will toward him, but the reality is that the Wings don't see the future in him like they used to. He hasn't proven himself in the AHL or the NHL worthy of a roster spot.

Leino is kicking ass and taking names. There's no way he doesn't get a full-time spot next season.

Exactly. I have nothing against the kid and want him to be our future, but he's not. He's had poor performances in every single call-up. I know young goalies need a chance to prove their worth but usually there is something you can hang your hat on and expect improvement on. But Howard has not really shown any moments of greatness other than a lucky save here or there. And he's not even consistent in the AHL. If you can't play at the AHL level, what makes anyone think he can play in the NHL? I think free agency is the only way to go, unfortunately. Hopefully our other goalie prospects will pan out like we expect. EDIT: I'm thinking Holland's game plan is changing now that he sees we don't have any reliable goalie other than Conklin. However, I do feel that the "refocusing" will be good for Ozzie and he will return to form to carry us through the playoffs. If he doesn't though, I think we see Mule let go to free up cap space, or Flip, and we take a risk on signing a $4 million dollar goalie.

Americans used to get blasted for Russian paranoia, but apparently the Canadians are STILL freaked about them. I've seen quite a bit of pop culture from Canada that made jokes about Soviets and Russians. Poor Canadians. That Arctic wind is getting to them.

Well, he did score tonight, so I thought using a "score" pun wouldn't have been as effective as it would have been, say, yesterday.

Congrats, at least you're useful at something! Wow, that was low, even for me.