stevkrause

thank you - couldn't have said it better.

and I agree with the other statement... I wish he had been 6'4" last year too...... In the past, his athleticism made up for his lack of height, but he has lost a step(or two) and it is glaringly obvious on his lateral movement...

Tim Thomas, 5'11'' Tomas Vokoun, 5'11'' Jose Theodore, 5'11'' Jaroslav Halak, 5'11'' Marty Turco, 5'11'' Vesa Toskala, 5'10'' Chris Osgood, 5'10" just a few... and out of them, how many are elite NHL goalies? ONE - another one is damn good, but inconsistent(Thomas) and another TBD(Halak) I think you're probably pretty accurate, but why was a guy like Lerg not even drafted, if that was all there was to it?

very true - but 2 goalies - 1 has A+ grade skill and is 5'6" and another has A grade skill and is 6'2" - The 6'2" goalie will be more successful 99 times out of 100 that video is both creepy and hilarious at the same time by the way, haha

whew... tough call... the video definitely looks like he swung the helmet and it wasn't just "caught in his hand", but at the same token, it's hard to judge something like that in the heat of the moment... especially since he doesn't really have a prior record and got the match penalty already, I don't think a suspension should follow... seems like the punishment is enough...

there are always going to be exceptions to the rule... and Howard is closer to 6'1 - so that's almost 3 inches and if you're a real hockey fan, you should know that hockey is a game of inches and those 3 inches (especially top shelf when in the butterfly) make a WORLD of difference... also, don't forget about the just overall larger frame that generally goes with a taller person...

barely played in the NHL and had sub-par numbers at best when he did...

I can see your argument about the stretches, but Howard is young and can handle it - I think from here out, they should be on a 4 to 1 rotation (4 starts for Howard, 1 for Osgood) The team is definitely making mental mistakes and yes, this is affecting the outcome more than the goaltending, but Osgood is doing NOTHING to prove he deserves to be in there, "rust" or not... The point is - we NEED these points, and Howard has proven he should be playing at least 75% of the games from here out...

Agreed... there's a lot to be said about just flat out size too... it was different when Ozzie was younger and could move faster and make up for his size, but he's lost a step and you can tell... There's a reason why Jeff Lerg wasn't drafted after his STELLAR career at MSU... The NHL is a tall, athletic goalies league (Brodeur, Miller, Luongo, etc....) Howard is over 6'... Ozzie is only 5'10... Of the top 10 SV% leading goalies in the NHL right now, only ONE of them is under 6' (Halak in MTL is 5'11") it's not coincidence...

I disagree, because I think last night when we were tied and then even down by 1 goal, you could still tell we were pressing and skating our asses off... when Osgood let in that junk 4th goal, you could really tell it took the wind out of our sails... The first goal, not his fault at ALL, the 2nd and 3rd goals he COULD have had(50/50) and the 4th SHOULD have been stopped and by the 5th.... who cares.... The point is, he stops the ones he should, and stops ONE of those he COULD have and we have a very different game... You can always tell on the difference of the play of a team in front of a goalie they have confidence in and when they don't... and the fact is, when ANY team plays too careful... it has negative effects...

no.

He's overpriced for what he is - a 4th liner with some grit... I'd rather keep the roster spot for May at 500k if it were between the two of them...

I'm gonna go on a limb and guess you're excited about Franzen's return

He has made no more mistakes than Lebda, probably less - the difference is, he hasn't been in the league for 6 years - I can deal with growing pains from a rookie who is still growing and hasn't peaked... Put him with a more solid D partner and you will see a difference - just watch tonight as he's out there and who he's with and how he looks... pair him with Meech or Lebda and yea, he's going to suffer, when he's on the ice with Lids or Kronwall... he will look right in place with where he belongs...

there's nothing about this report that doesn't make me happy! ESPECIALLY that Lebda is OUT I know, I'm still VERY cautiously optimistic...

that hurt to watch...

yea and there's always a risk of injury to anyone stepping on the ice - you know what I mean...

I'd be fine with them sharing the Arena, as long as it was a Hockey First arena(meaning the ice gets a protective layer and the court is raised for the Pistons) and IN Detroit... I do not want them in the Palace prior to that though...

I'm referring to Franzen. As long as there's no risk in re-injuring his knee, I want Franzen back sooner rather than later - as soon as Lils is cleared by doctors, we need to get him to GR for conditioning and back up here ASAP

fair enough - I would love to see it named something like: Gordie Howe Arena Woodward Arena Olympia Centre

exactly - this will definitely have corporate sponsorship from an OUTSIDE source (not Little Caesars) Trying to even guess which corporate sponsor is a shot in the dark...

I think they need to really capitalize on the opportunity here - build a nice, hockey barn feel arena, which holds between 20000 and 25000 people, lower level luxury suites and upper level luxury suites, but with tiered levels, so the second level basically sits OVER the first level, making them all feel right on top of the ice Then - build an awe-inspiring concourse with plenty of stands, concession stands, bathrooms and maybe even an actual restaurant or 2 inside... then, the real kicker - Make a 20000+ car ATTACHED parking structure with shuttles to and from the Casino. This will make money for parking for Lions games, Tigers games, Red Wing games, concerts, etc AND will bring more money into Illitch's casino by the shuttle and easy accessibility They own the land behind the Fox to make this happen... if they chose to, it'd be great for the city, the Illitch's and THE FANS

just as long as there's no risk of re-injuring it... we need him...

They got the new Yankee stadium built in 2 years... When there's a will, there's a way... and although I don't agree on putting one up over night and paying an insane amount to rush it either, they could do it in 3 years easily... I think the Palace would be a horrible idea, even in the short term, especially to pull them out of Detroit... I think they should just use the Joe, as is, for 2 years and start construction on a new arena NOW...

Agreed 100% - they need to stop trying to "protect the lead" when they go up, and just keep pouring it on... keep teams on their heals and put them away...