T.Low

They will ride the Schneid. Gillis will ask LuLu for a list of 5 teams. The best thing about Schneider is that the fans can't yell Luuuuu everytime someone hits him with the puck.

In an abrupt 1st round exit that includes only one victory, a series where nobody on the team really shined, it's ultimately the best thing to happen to the Wings this season on many different levels, (short of winning another Stanley Cup of course). Limping along into a conference final loss, for example, (or even another 2nd round loss), would have provided too much cover for our weaknesses. It would have made it too easy to gloss things over and many real issues would only be considerred suspect issues that we could possibly live with. However, this 1st round exit is a complete failure by Detroit Red Wing standards, and now everything is exposed and on the table for scrutiny. Everything from when to chip and chase ( and work on that more often) to who we really need on Pavel's wing, to Filppula, Franzen, on down the line, to reassessing our tendency to keeping the youngsters (Smith this year) off the playof roster when they are the one's with the energy, blah blah blah. Our roster, our philosophy, our staff... Everything is now on the table to be scrutinized. Also, I think it would leave a bad taste for Lidstrom in regards to retirement timing. Again, if we had made it to th conference finals, maybe Nick would have thought that is as good as thing can get, he's had a full career, blah blah blah, and it's time to retire. This year's exit may light a fire in him to return for one final season. At the same time, Smith can be on the roster to learn from Nick, which did not really happen last year. One more run for the Cup in 2013 for Nick Lidstrom. This team has more to gain and learn from an embarrassing 1st round exit and it's resulting harsher off season scrutiny than they do from the experience of cruising along into a conference final loss. What do you think?

Or, I think most of us look at it like Babcock pointed out; it's been 2nd round (which we still consider to be on the "early out" side of things) and then a repeat of the 2nd round to the same team, and now first round...so it's definitely an attention getter. Yes, many other teams would be satisfied and some even excited about that much playoff activity, but that is not who we are. We are coming from the top and have been in a slippery slope of downward trend since '08.

Many good replies, guys, thanks. Did you guys read the article above on "No time for Gradual Change?" Exactly what we've been talking about, (nothing we don't already know), but a great read still. http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120422/OPINION03/204220313/1128/rss16

Fact; Bertuzzi was nursing a sore hip, which impedes access to the range of motion needed to play this game. Observed guess: Datsyuk was not able to cut on his knee like he was during his mid season reign of awesomeness. I'e had knee surgery and it's not suprisiing that that would be the case. Same with groin injuries: (Jimmy and Bert). They can linger long time. Zetterberg always takes a beating, so who knows with him. That's all I got.

I totally see your point and have raised it on other threads myself ("why would Suter want to come here"), but I think that now, Holland & Co. will make a much more serious effort to actually acquire top guys.

Yeah, pretty much the same here. Hope StL finishes off San Chokezay, and Pheonix sends Chicago home, and Vancouver out in round one would be a little consolation prize for me, living 60 minutes south of Vancouver. Other than checking into LGW for off season RW updates, it's time for me to turn off hockey and get outside to ride and paddle more and tend to the property (home games are at 4pm for me---prime afterwork outside time ). I'll tune into LGW and listen to Vancouver's Team 1040, but I can't take any more of the awful pun's that NHL.com uses in almost every frikin head line. (Who do they got runnning that stupid site?) Have a good off season, guys and gals. Go Wings.

My thoughts exactly...about Suter. Why would he leave? Is he due a raise so it's a cap issue?

Nyquist seemed to have more jump than anyone else on the team. Not that he was ultimately the most effective, but he seemed to be a threat, getting lose, showing up at the right time at the right place. Cleary had a ton jump...for that one game. Last game it looked like his meds were off, and he looked almost groggy. Datsyuk looked...coverred. Good on Suter, but you could tell Dats was not 100% recoverred. Knees suck. From what I saw during the season, Conner and Smith would have had more jump in this series than any other Wings. Lidstrom's injury was apparent on the ice; hamperred his mobility. Same with Bertuzzi. Filp and Franzen were ineffective.

Torres really is a suspension waiting to be handed out, isn't he. If he'd learn how to hit legally... As much as I displike Cooke, he did somewhat reivent himself this year and possibly prolong his career. You can't argue with the fact that he had as many goals as Pavel, and only three less than Zetterberg. He has the numbers we needed from Cleary, Helm, and Abdelkader.

What am i missing? Why would Suter want to leave Nashville, a team on the rise, for Detroit, a team on the slide?

That is cheating, plain and simple. It's not a cagey veteran move, it's cheating. Edit: Don't get me wrong; it would not have changed anything. Nashville had their way with us. They were able to score whenever they needed to, and able to stalemate our (n)offense.

I pretty much agree. Like how at the deadline Gillis traded away Vancouver's 3rd line scoring potential for grinders and the team has been misfiring ever since. It's always been a league of copy cats. WHen Detroit wins the Cup, all of the sudden everyone wants a puck moving Dman and skilled players. Then Boston rag dolls Vancouver on the way to winning the Cup and everyone wants hard hitting hockey players. Seriously, we are only a few bad bounces away from being up 3-1 instead of down 3-1, but unfortunately, that's hockey. We all know that if this team goes balls out for 60 minutes, they can beat anybody in the NHL. That's what's bumbed me out.

All I can say for sure is that we are too busy s***tin the bed to take advantage of Chicago, Vancouver, and San Jose all getting knocked out. And probably Pittsburgh. If the other three series all hold the course, it could be St Louis/L.A., and Detroit/Pheonix...but I'm not holding my breath.

You must drive your husband crazy with all that fact checking when he's trying to spin a good anecdote.

Ask anyone in Boston what time it is and the reply is "Oh, 19 past Luongo" and that was just the games in Boston. If Luongo were on LGW, his avatar would be

What's the prognosis? Is he just wrecked, or what, anybody know?

It's not interesting to Mike Gillis: Burroughs is his kind of player and there is no reason to trade him.

they play a much more offensive game than Datyuk and Bertuzzi, or Filpulla and Zetterberg. Look at their point totals and the points of who ever is lucky enough to play with them. Even Sammy had more goals than Datsyuk the year he played with on and off with the Sedins. So did Anson Carter. So did Alex Burroughs, yadda yadda yadda. Franzen being able to float around while the Sedins mesmerized everyone would be a perfect recipe for a 35-40 goal season.

I'd take Howard over Luongo any day. Luongo is a Diva, and please, just take a look at his record in closeout playoff games. Luongo is in the 2nd year of a 12 year deal, so at 33 years old he still has 10 years left. And actually, if Scheider gets lit up any time during these playoffs, then nothing has been decided. As of this moment, yes, the optics of the decision to go with Schneider indicates Luongo needs to put together a list of teams he'd consider waving his NTC for. His family is still tied to Florida, he could easily go back there, or Stevie Y apparently likes him too, but would prefer a cheaper, younger goalie. The fans want Rick Nash for him, but there is no way he is putting CBJ on his list of teams. Rumors abound already that Semin may end up in vancouver with Luo going to Washington. Who would have thought that, at this moment in time, they'd be better off with Bertuzzi and his cap hit than Luongo and his cap hit. bert @ $1.75(ish) means they could get a true number one defensemen (Vancouver really wants to bring Weber home to British Columbia). That's all we need; a crumbling sive of ego, while we unite Franzen with the Sedins. Are you out of your mind?

Disagree with op. Every year you hope that you are 1) Healthy goihng into the playoffs and 2) it would be nice to be hot. This year we were neither. We peaked at the wrong time of year and then got the injuries. It's not an excuse, it's just a reality check. Lidstroms mobility is hamperred. Same with Datsyuk. (If Dats were in this year's mid season form, who knows what this series would look like).

I wish I were in Florida. The clouds and rain came up today here in the Pacific Northwest. Destin looks like a cool little spot. Wound't mind watching the game at a palapa on the beach. If we can just somehow get thru this round, the 2nd round should be there for the taking.

Just because we expect it, doesn't mean we should not be cheering our assess off every single step of the way. If they are playing their asses off, the least we can do is to cheer our asses and rock the Joe. Complacency does not have to equal quiet and lazy. I totally understand what you are saying (which is why I wrote it in the first place), but i totally disagree that it should be relevent. Part of the problem is that the OP (and the article for that matter) isn't qualifying what exactly it is we are comparing. Give us some perameters to measure "better fan". I specifically said they have a better "crowd" than we do, and all you have to do is listen to know that. And the fact that Detroit fans are complacent apparently is a strike against them when it comes to fans (i.e., the crowd) creating an atmosphere to play in. I'm not happy about it, but c'mon, you know it's true. If I were Illitch, I would designate a few sections as student sections to be sold at a discount. Maybe even offer a cheap bus ride from East Lansing and Ann Arbor or something. The college kids get the chants started and that's what;s missing. How awesome was the "TODD Ber TU Zi"

Two season ago vs Chicago. I travel back to Mi all the time to see my parents and my brother's family and for business. My wife get's me tickets to see the Wings in Vancouver. She has business trips to San Jose that have often lined up with a Wings west coast trip so I go along and go to the Shark Tank. I haven't been to Comerica Park yet, although my best friend was a crane operator on the project. don't ever need to go see another NBA game, although i used to see The Bad Boys all the time. Haven't been to Ford Field yet. Not so much anymore, but when I first moved out here, I was going to alot of games. There are 6 pro teams within an hour and a half from our house. My buddy played for the Chiliwack Chiefs in the BCHL and we'd go to atleast 6-8 games a year. People need to realize that hockey is not an overly complicated game to learn. If you've got any type of team sports background, it's simple to get an adequate basic understanding of the game. My wife became a fairly knowledgeable player and fan in one season.

It's all about pace. Nothing is easy at the pace of that game.