stevkrause

exactly - goalie is fair game, but you run him, be prepared to pay up... let the players police goalie protection...

once again... it is not there now... not even CLOSE... but over time, if done right, it COULD make the HUGE leap like the NFL did in the late 80's through 90's... I'm not saying it will be easy, but it COULD be done... Also, I think you are GROSSLY overselling the MLB's popularity in today's society... and overlooking the fact that MLB may be facing yet ANOTHER work stoppage VERY soon, which always opens a door...

The English speaking and looks argument CAN be made, because it's legit... even though Crosby is a whiny little *****, he speaks English and French fluently(the two most important to know to be an NHL marketing face) and he's a pretty boy... All real fans will gravitate to Ovechkin first, but a woman, or someone with little knowledge of the game, will gravitate to Crosby... it's all about expanding to new markets, not the ones you already have...

only because it's marketed better...

Majority of the US population is in the Northern States, California and Texas... Texas and California have already warmed up to hockey and in the north, it is more familiar... like I said, it will never surpass the NFL, but MLB is in for a major fall from grace within the next decade and the NBA is a joke... if the NHL did things right, they could take over #2 - and hockey is by NO means more difficult to understand than the NFL...

nothing will surpass the NFL, that's why I said #2... and if you follow MLB, they're not far off from a full lost season due to a lockout... and are rapidly falling in popularity among non-hispanic american's...

Although I agree with you on all those aspects... it is not impossible - if marketed properly and they REALLY made good on their "Hockey is for everyone" push, it COULD be in every household, at the inline level at bare minimum... and then you have that personal connection... it's all in marketing your product - The NFL is a LOT more than throwing a ball around and it's complex as hell when you break it down to brass tacks, but it's the undisputed champ right now and won't be knocked off that pedistal... because they run it right...

The NBA is the most horrible product in professional sports... the last 2 minutes of every game are free throw contests and it's consistency of calls is an even bigger joke than the NHL...

America LOVES violence/physicality and speed, period... hence why UFC and Nascar do so well... both are very caveman sports and they FLOURISH... What does the NHL have an abundance of? Speed and physicality - it just hasn't been marketed right... and like you said, bare minimum, number 3... but it COULD overtake baseball if done right...

listen, I'm as much of a Laraque supporter as the next guy, but May has better wheels AND hands(scoring/passing wise) than Laraque...

New commissioner, new deputy commissioner in charge of discipline. Problem solved. Until there is ANY consistency in this league, it will continue to be a fringe league at best...

you're full of negative energy. I agree... I'd be happier with 3 years, 6 mil... even though it raises the initial cap, he's over 35 and any contract will count against the cap if he reitres... if he wants to play another year or two after that, go a year at a time...

and they'd save cap space that way too... if the story means that(which it sounds like from the way it's written) it is very low class...

Exactly... that's good for an enforcer... like I said, his price tag is a little high, but Colton Orr makes a mil a season and averages .5 goals a year... I never said he'd be a 2nd line sniper...

IF - it doesn't say anything about them waiving him, or even giving him the option... the story makes it look more like they are going to basically just sit him out for the remainder of the year and not give him a chance to play for another team...

he's one of the best at what he does... and he's not that "useless" on the ice - he can be quite a net front presence when asked to be...

I would really hope/imagine that they will at least waive him and then send him through re-entry waivers if needed to give him a chance to play somewhere else, even in the AHL if he's not claimed and chooses too... if not, VERY low class... He doesn't really fit in MTL anyway... I could really see a team like Atlanta using him, not only for enforcing abilities, but PR, as he is a GREAT team guy and really wins over a fanbase... I still thought had he come here 3 years ago, he would've been an amazing fit, unfortunately, we don't really have a need for him anymore and he's not worth the price tag here...

how do you explain their run in 02, followed by their collapse in 03 and 04 then? It's not just Ward... they really are a bizarre organization...

this 100% He has had one hell of a career, but it's time for him to pass the torch... too much youth that can do the job more effectively than he can at his age and I can't imagine him playing anywhere else... I think he may have hung them up last year had we won the cup...

agreed 100%... I think you just mis-interpreted some of my points... this team is not as tough as it was in the 90's... I said it's the toughest we've had SINCE the 90's... not saying it is equal to... and in reference to the penalties, hitting and playing teams tough does not necessarily mean more penalties, but still toughens up your game, however, the after the whistle stuff CAN lead to penalties... it's not a matter of tough or not tough, there's a lot of grey area, but generally speaking, the more physical of a game you play, the more likely you are to take penalties, as they are all subjective to the refs...

agreed... I don't think the glut of previous teams were soft, maybe a few years, but overall, I think they just chose to play smart rather than spend time in the box... But overall, I do think this is one of the grittiest teams we've had since the late 90's... I like the fact that big E never lets a guy stand in the crease after a whistle and pushes everyone out the minute the whistle goes off, I like the fact that guys like Eaves, Cleary and hell, even Meech, have dropped them when it needed to be done... even if they were outmatched fight wise(Meech, Cleary injured shoulder), I like the fact that we have a guy that will keep teams honest and go through a wall for teammates, but can still actually play the game of hockey and not just waste space as a goon in May and finally, I like the fact that we have guys crashing and banging and the hitting has increased tenfold... I still maintain that once Franzen and Kronwall are healthy, this will be a VERY different team score wise... but the toughness will still be there and that is a good combination to have

If it were not to go to Zetterberg, it would likely go to Kronwall... Datsyuk doesn't have a strong enough command of the language...

and the award for the most asinine post of the day goes to.. you just like messing with people, don't you?

I was unaware there was any animosity between Babs and Prospal...

I love Helm and everything he brings to the team... but this board is almost starting to refer to him with god-like status... there are at least 4 guys before Helm should even be considered for a shootout (Filppula most noteably) I have no issue with our first 3, it's the 4th, 5th, etc... order that needs to be shaken up Datsyuk Zetterberg Bertuzzi ** When healthy** THEN *Franzen* Filppula *Williams* Eaves Cleary *Holmstrom* Ericsson (used to be a forward) Abdelkader Kronwall Helm Draper Maltby Lidstrom Miller Rafalski Stuart Meech/Lebda and repeat...