GMRwings1983

That's a good point. There's too many damn Swedes on this team to keep track of. With Homer everything changes. I have to give it to the Swedes then.

Actually, what I meant to say is that Kozlov was a soft, Russian euro and that Kocur and McCarty were the real stars of those teams. Without them there would have been no Cup.

Yeah, it's kind of sad how people are quickly forgetting that Kozlov was a very good player in Detroit, especially in the playoffs. Compare the way he shoots the puck to the way Sammy shoots and you have a complete laugher. Don't know how anyone could say that they cancel each other out.

Sammy f***s it up for the Swedes. Have to go with the Russians based on that, even though Lidstrom is better than either Fetisov or Konstantinov. Also, you have to remember that Fetisov and Larionov never played in their prime in the NHL. Even so, I still have to go with the Russian five.

Maybe, but it's still hypothetical. Feds became sound defensively earlier in his career than Datsyuk did. Also, he has one more Selke trophy than Datsyuk. Of course Datsyuk could very well win another one, but at this point I'd have to say that Fedorov was a better all-around defensive forward than Datsyuk. Also, I don't think that any good defensive forward could play defense, or else we'd see it more often. I believe it takes something extra to be able to do that, because you have to go against all your instincts as a player.

I'm just saying that guys like Federko and Neely opened the door for many players. Fedorov is actually not one of those players, because to me he is a slam dunk. If anything else, he actually won several Cups, which neither Neely or Federko ever did. There's no decent argument for why those guys can make it but he can't.

Defensively they aren't close. Fedorov could actually play defense. Could you envision Datsyuk lining up as a defenseman for several games? That, along with Fedorov's shot and the fact that he dated Kournikova puts him over the top.

See Bernie Federko.

As of last week he was in the top 3 in scoring amongst defensemen. That means he was above Lidstrom in production this year. No reason to trade him, despite the occasional defensive lapses.

I want my Gerber baby!

It all depends on what happens with Hossa and Franzen. If they don't re-sign, then he might become valuable. However, the way he's playing now may mitigate his chances of being that 2nd line forward even if those guys don't come back.

Fedorov, because he had a rocket for a shot. Datsyuk wishes he could shoot the puck like that. Otherwise, there's a lot of similarities to their game, and I'd say the rest was even.

The hardest shot is the only fun event anymore. The breakaway at the end of the skills competition was always fun in the past, but now with shootouts being a part of the NHL, seeing a breakaway just isn't what it used to be back when penalty shots were rare. Also, the fastest skater was a joke last year when they created a new format. I just can't wait to see Mike Komisarek and his fat ass in the skills competition. Hopefully he embarasses himself in front of those same idiot fans who voted him in.

Especially a crappy team like Dallas, which has had a horrendous season so far, and yet they have at least 2 guys in the ASG right now.

Every team needs rest. Based on that there shouldn't be an ASG. Anyway, Rafalski is one of the league leaders in points for defensemen, and he wasn't picked. That was more bizzarre than Hossa or Hank not making it in.

I don't know what the hell everyone is so excited about? The All-Star game has become a joke, but I'd still love to see Wings players in it, because I think that would make it more entertaining for me as a fan and for the league in general. Also, Montreal is a better place to have the ASG than in some s***ty Southern city where they can't even spell hockey. How this is good for the Wings or for anyone on LGW is beyond me.

If we had an enforcer dressed, none of those 6 pucks would have gone into our net.

I don't see why an enforcer has to be any more talented than any of our current 4th liners to earn a spot on this team. Our 4th line isn't all that useful at all. The cap space is the real problem, but there's enough tradeable players to try to offset that.

This team wasn't nearly talented to win Cups in the 80's. In recent memory they have had the talent, but weren't able to pull through until McCarty came back and until Drake and Downey were added to the roster. That's what separated last year's team to the teams in the last few seasons before that.

The Sharks are a hungrier and bigger team than us. That is a bad sign for a 7 game series. As I've already posted, having an enforcer can only rub off on the rest of the team being more physical. Why do you think the WIngs were all of a sudden more physical in the playoffs last year than in year's past? Why do you think other teams dress enforcers? It's not a coinicidence that we won the Cup with Downey and McCarty playing on this team all year. If you want to s*** all over that and say that it had nothing to do with the Cup win, then you're in denial and you know nothing about hockey. This team needs an enforcer just like any other team does.

It's not the only way, but it's a damn good way, especially when the rest of the team is not known for its physicality. And there are no tradeoffs. Well, unless you have a 4th line full of hall of famers, which we currently don't have.

Sounds like somebody forgot the 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2006 playoffs. Momentum means nothing.

That's why it doesn't apply to the Wings. Nobody is taking it for granted, I'm just saying that it's not something we have to worry about with this roster.

I don't understand why some people think this team doesn't need an enforcer. How many Cups have the Wings won without a guy like McCarty or Downey on the roster? None from what I can remember. This team is not above and beyond in needing an enforcer. Believe me that San Jose has better players than Shelley, who are scratched for every game. There's a reason why enforcers exist in hockey, and that reason is just as applicable to this team than any other. Last year's Cup win and the growing toughness and grit of this team as the season wore on wasn't a coincidence.

Oh, I forgot that McCarty is not an enforcer just because he played limited minutes in the playoffs. It's hopeless to argue against some of you people when you forget that either Mac or Downey were part of this team last year. Of course an enforcer is not going to get many minutes, but that doesn't mean that he didn't play at all.