GMRwings1983

Cam Ward didn't start the playoffs for them. Based on this analogy, Conklin should start the playoffs, at which point he will suck badly, and then Ozzie will come in and lead us to the Cup. Is that a fair way to assess the OP's idea here?

I hope it's the Blues. It's been a while since the Wings have had an easy 1st round matchup.

Enforcers are not overrated. And yes, several of our players are sissies. Franzen and Sammy are sissies by backing down from fights and turtling at any chance they get. In fact, I'd use a different word than "sissy" to define some of Franzen's tactics, but I don't want my first post of the day to involve bad language, so I'll hold off. Also, it's not a given that the team will be more physical this year in the playoffs. The 4th line has shown no physicality all year, and the other lines have followed suit. This is a vanilla team right now that wins games simply by outscoring teams. In the playoffs, you can't win that way since there aren't as many high scoring games. You have to be more physical.

We need him in the lineup, because we can't win the Cup without an enforcer.

Did you in your infinite wisdom ever stop to consider that maybe those topics are exactly what people are most frustrated about with this team? Hence that's why they come to LGW to ***** about those things. Since you're so smart, maybe you should tell everyone else what it is that we should be discussing instead.

Let me guess, you're not anti-enforcer? You just want a tough guy with Probert-like scoring touch around the net, right?

Not really. Everyone is afraid of our enforcer, known as the powerplay.

If we had an enforcer on the team, he would intimidate Ozzie from letting in soft goals.

Patrick Sharp would probably disagree with you on that point. I agree with most of your post, but Lilja has beaten better fighters than Jason Smith and Robyn Regehr. You make it sound like he's never dropped the gloves in his career. In fact, it wasn't too long ago when he dropped Sheldon Souray, who's a better fighter than Weber in my opinion.

I don't know if most people realize this, but Zach Parise is in the top 5 right now in scoring. I haven't seen him play that much, so my question is whether he is a guy that can annually finish near the top in points every year, or is he simply a good player who's slightly overachieving statistically this season? I knew he was an up and coming player, but I didn't think that he'd suddenly catapult to the top 5 in points so quickly, so I'm wondering if anyone else is as surprised as me? BTW, the other guys in the top 5 are Malkin, Crosby, Ovechkin and Datsyuk, so he's in pretty good company if he ranks up there with those players.

It sucks how so many enforcers have had their careers cut short by injury or tragedy. Guys like Tony Twist, John Kordic and Behn Wilson just to name a few. I hope the same doesn't happen to Lilja.

I think they play on TV tonight, so you'll get another chance. However, one game doesn't prove anything, besides I'm assuming he's been pretty good this year if he's in the top 5 in scoring. I just think that at this point, he may be the most unknown star in the league.

Anaheim and Giguere have 2 playoff defeats on us. Don't forget that humiliation in 2003. At least 2007 was somewhat respectable.

I never said he didn't do anything but play dirty, so you misunderstood me there. I also never said that he couldn't fight. I also never took a shot at Preds fans in that post you quoted. I'd love to go to Gaylord Arena and listen for 3 hours to a bunch of drunken clowns chanting amateurish stuff about the other team. I'm sure it's an exhilarating experience that can only be rivaled by sniffing glue.

My favorite player on each team is their enforcer. Since the Wings don't have one dressed right now, I'd have to choose Lidstrom as my favorite current Wing.

B.S. post. Why do you think people hate him so much if he isn't cheap and dirty as a fighter? He's earned a lousy reputation around the league for a good reason. You're just a homer denying that he's dirty. Your credibility is lost just from being a predators fan. It figures you'd be the only one to like that little turd.

Oh please. You know your boy has fought with a visor on many times in the last few years, and also enjoys jumping the gun on his opponents. He's a cheap fighter no matter how much you love him.

Or cut our hands on his visor.

I doesn't matter what the Thrashers thought of him. It's what we here on LGW think of him, that really matters.

I was referring to the average American sports fan. Canadians would watch a Cup final no matter which 2 teams were playing. Also, I don't think Canadian viewers count when we look at viewer ratings here in America for the SCF. Otherwise, the SCF would always have high ratings, but it generally doesn't.

There are plenty of teams in the Eastern Conference that could be marketable, ratings wise. Montreal, New York, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh. There's a good chance that all these teams will be in the playoffs and one of them will make the Finals. Call be a homer for saying this, but in the West, the Red Wings are the only team that would be marketable for the NHL to play in the SCF. The casual sports fans (idiots) don't care about any of those other teams in the West. Chicago is an original six team also, but they've been so bad for so long, that it'll take a few years of being a good team before they will become a big deal nationally.

Have you ever made one knowledgeable post when it comes to fighting in hockey? Tootoo is a ***** who fights dirty, but all in all he's a pretty decent middleweight. Can't fight would be someone like Johan Franzen, who's afraid to ever drop the gloves and turtles like a wuss. And where did the "5 times being demolished this season" come from?

That was the year where he made "Dumb and Dumber" and "Ace Ventura" in the same year. Seriously, though, I actually agree with you on this thread. Who knows, maybe he'll become the player that Pavel or Hank are, but he's not at that level yet. He was during the playoffs last year, but hasn't maintained that level of greatness. Obviously, I don't expect him to score a goal a game again, but still, he's not anywhere near as dominant as he was in the playoffs.

I guess I'm still pissed at him for embarassing the team that way. That wasn't very special, unless you're putting together a video on bad dance moves. The answer to the OP's question depends on what you define as special. Is he a good player? Yes. Is he a great player? No. He's not at that level that our other big 3 forwards are at. Those guys are special in my opinion.

Here is Johan's "special chicken dance" that I was referring to earlier. Youtube