GMRwings1983

Do you really want to see Abs get his ass kicked some more, with no one to back him up? I don't mind keeping guys like Eaves and Abs on the team, but those guys would be much better hitters and grinders with a guy like Boogaard backing them up. They don't need to do the dirty work when someone else can do it for them. They'll probably get hurt eventually if they fight some more, because they suck at it. Besides, like I said earlier, a guy like Torres will be harder to find than a pure enforcer.

Finally, we have a hired gun on our side.

Then you should become a GM, because you seem to know more than any of them do when they sign enforcers. You're also smarter than all the coaches who dress them. As for the playoffs, fighting has always been down in the playoffs traditionally. That doesn't mean enforcers are completely useless now.

Pretty much. The regular season isn't meaningless anymore, as we found out this season. The tougher your team is, the tougher the other players on the team who aren't considered physical will play. Just look at Leino in Philly. Babcock himself has talked about the importance of enforcers before. I suppose he's stupid, but the anti-enforcer posters here on LGW know more about hockey than Babcock does when they say things like, "enforcers are useless". Apparently, some people here know more about hockey than the 30 GM's in the league who try to carry enforcers on their team.

Boogaard will be much easier to acquire than scoring fighters like Torres or Asham. Just saying.

As Clark Gable says at the end of Gone With the Wind, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn." If enforcers are pointless, why do other teams carry them all the time in the regular season? Educate me.

Way too complicated eva. My idea for an annual outdoor U.S/Canada game is better and simpler. I think that would draw big ratings, whereas the casual sports fan wouldn't care or understand about the format you just described.

More like the biggest dumbass on the list. We may as well sign Mike Danton and Billy Tibbets.

I'd love to see any of those guys in a Wings uniform, but I doubt we'll wind up with any bonafide enforcer. A guy like Nystrom or Asham is probably what we'll wind up with. Then again, even that may not happen. Holland brought in Williams of all people last year, and didn't he say that he was looking for more grit at that time?

Who do I have to f*** to get the Wings to sign Boogaard.

You better leave the comedy to us pros.

Maybe all our Swedes just didn't want a Finn in the lineup. Fillpulla has already become a Swede, so he doesn't count.

They should put a bonus clause in the contract, based on how many offensive zone penalties he takes.

Exactly. It could become an annual game, in place of the boring All-Star game which no one gives a s*** about. The hardest part would be to make it competitive, kind of like the World Cup or the Olympics, as opposed to having a skate around, which is what an All-Star game is.

How about having the U.S. play Canada every year instead of having an All-Star game? The game could be played outdoors in various venues around North America every year, and would become the new Winter Classic. Or maybe have a North America vs. The World outdoor game every year? What do you guys think?

Come on guys. The league has no interest in putting Canadian teams on US television for this game. The first Winter Classic was in 2004 if I'm not mistaken (Edmonton/Montreal), and the game wasn't even televised. I think the NHL was still on espn back then, too. It's just not surprising that teams like Toronto wouldn't be put in this game just yet. Same with Edmonton. Most casual American sports fans won't watch the Oilers playing outdoors. As for the Devils, they've never been good for NHL ratings, despite being a U.S. team on the east coast. It's basically Pittsburg, Detroit, Washington, Chicago, Philly, Boston and New York. Buffalo was only shown because they played the Pens. The league will just keep rotating these teams around most likely.

You really think the Panthers and Thrashers are fuming right now? Get real folks. There's only a handful of teams in the US which the league wants to promote in this game. Of course they were going to give the Pens the first 2nd chance before any other team. Washington hasn't had one yet. The only team that should be fuming are the NYR. These other franchises never had a prayer of being in this game and they know it.

The Sharks have met their quota for the season. They didn't choke in the 1st round and got past the 2nd round as well, beating the Wings. Their fans and team are already satisfied and are playing like it. Chicago on the other hand got to the semis last year and lost. For them this season was Cup or bust, and this team was playing with that pressure and expectation all season. They clearly look more hungry and have set their goals higher.

Talent only matters when you play hard. He never played this hard for the Wings. Don't know if it's the playoff atmosphere that's woken him up, but he was sleepwalking most of his time in our lineup. You really think a "genius" like Holland/Babcock would let him go so easily if they didn't think he was a lazy ass?

This is some bulls*** right here.

O.K. God this isn't funny anymore. Make it stop.

I'm not. I've always wanted to post photos here, but all my photos happen to be nudes.

Tell that to Souray, Boll, Sharp, Phaneuf, Begin and Neil. Who said you need a six-pack to attract chicks these days? Wellwood has a different idea as to what a six-pack is.

Great post. People here are just jealous of him because of his looks and fighting skills. The rest of the team could learn to block shots like he can. We're probably the worst team in the league at it.

Get rid of the instigator rule and start calling diving again. I'm tired of players picking up sure powerplay chances because refs are instructed by the league to call less divings nowadays. Also, get rid of the double-minor high sticking penalty whenever there's blood. I started a thread about this several months ago. It's a stupid rule that doesn't depend on severity of the high stick, as much as the luck of whether it draws blood or not.