T.Low

As summer is winding down and the season is less than a 9 iron away, I thought I'd get this out of the way before the season starts. While the Wings-Avs rivalry threads never get old, this Top 10 Wings_Avs Moments video (from ESPN?) actually shows how badly damaged Draper's face was by Lemieux's hit from behind. It's at the end of the video (it's part of the #1 moment) but there is plenty to keep you occupied up until then. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYCT-nJH894&feature=related

(At the prospects tournament) “I looked out and thought, ‘My god, that red and white is a beautiful jersey,’ ” Yzerman said. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=nc-yzerman0913

I'm listenning to the Canucks' Prospects game and they've had 4 fights so far, the 4rth happenning at the 0:00 mark of the 2nd period (right before the drop of the puck for the 2nd period). I guess it's Kenny's tournament, so he'll have it the way he wants it.

So much for this tweet I found floating out in cyberspace: RT @TSNBobMcKenzie: KHolland very vigilant on style of play here. If 2 much fighting, rules will be adjusted. Teams want 2 C prospects PLAY. about 9 hours ago via TweetDeck

Any news about Matt Butcher other than the shootout winner and leading the team with 5 shots on goal (in the Detroit game)? Moving from Detroit to Bellingham Wa. I got to know Garth and his son Matt Butcher from hanging around the local ice sheet and playing in the beer leagues here. Matt was super nice kid, very talented and hard working. Matt went on to play in the BCHL and we could drive up and see his games in Chiliwack only 60 minutes away (the same as The Joe from my old house in Clarkston.) He was 2nd in the BCHL in scoring before going to Northern. Has a penchant for timely big goals, always taken a lot of draws and has won the majority of them, great sense, decent size, had to drop the mitts a lot because everyone wanted to say they fought Garth Butcher's kid. Never saw him lose a bout, (maybe a couple of draws), and he enjoyed every one of them although he's certainly not an enforcer. And FWIW, he has a good pedigree; his dad and two uncles (mom's brothers) were all in the NHL (Garth Butcher, Doug and Mark Morrison). More than once I've seen him win a late game draw, get the puck back and score the game winner. His career at Northern Michigan started off well as he had a game winner aginst UofM as an under classmen. But then an injured hip as a junior and senior really derailled his NCAA career. I was super psyched to see Yzerman pluck him out of Gillis' trash heap (Canuck's recycle bin?) for a try out. All of us beer leaguer's in Bellingham, Wa. know he and his father personally and let me tell ya, Matt Butcher's a class act, a smart, talented, hard working kid. It would be awesome to see him latch on with Stevie Y. Tonite against Carolina he scored the game's first goal on a one timer. I'm really rooting for him. Anyone in Traverse City able to watch him and say how he looks out there? I'd really appreciate hearing about it. Thanks a ton. Go Wings. Go Bolts. Edit: Butcher with a power play goal makes it 2-1 Tampa. Way to go Matty!

It may take 5yrs...hell, he's plenty young enough, it may take 10. But I too have to think he'll be back. I may never live in the Detroit area a gain, but I sure as hell hope he does. Trying not to turn every Stevie Y thread into a Tribute thread is kind of difficult. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1115557/index.htm

Kinda looks like a typo. Who the hell gives up 11 power plays! And the who the hell can't score once on 11 power plays! WTF? I would like to think that indicates the Wings were just skating away from StL and the only thing they could do was hook and grab. Any truth to that?

Sometimes, some things are better left unsaid. Contrary to popular belief, not everything needs to be brought out into the open and discussed. They're two old school warriors. It'll be fine.

I've been trying to find out what happenned to Matt Butcher who was drafted by the Canucks. I've skated a bit with he and his dad Garth (of the Canucks, St Louis, Toronto, Quebec) here in town. Watched Matt grow up. A real character kid. Decent size, good skills, great in the face off circle. He fought every game I ever went to because all the guys wanted to be able to say they fought Garth Butcher's kid. Maybe a couple of draws, but I've never seen him lose one. He likes it, too. Today I read that the Canucks lost interest in Matt due to his two season long hip injury sufferred while playing at Northern Michigan. Yzerman plucks Butcher out of the trash heap and gives him a tryout and Matty scores the shoutout winner against the Wings prospects. Holy smokes! Steve Yzerman sees that Matt is available and calls him up for a tryout. I can't wait to ask him what that phone call was like. Good luck Matt, we're pulling for ya! Tom and Jen from the Black Aces. Edit: 5 shots on goal. Not bad at all.

I agree and there is indeed something to be excited about each and every line. This really could be a peak year for Bert, Filp, and Franzen. Seems there is so much focus on so many different guys this year that Cleary is almost forgotten about and he's as poised as any to have great year, too. This is going to be one fun year.

? meaning Comrie Staal Malkin or Malkin Staal Tangradi, Cooke Comrie Kennedy

What's the deal with Comrie? He has 20 and 30 goal seasons but no team seems to want to keep him. Is he too much of a jaggoff? Too lazy on D? Whats the deal?

It was awesome to watch the NHLer's play in the Olympics. I wouldn't watch the Russian tournament without them. But how can you argue with the league about it's stance. They are all multi millionaires meaning they are probably pretty good at reading cost/benefit ratio statements. If it doesn't pencil out to shut the league down and send it's players to Russia, then it doesn't pencil out. Too bad, so sad, but why would you expect them to do it? ALL the non hockey fans that talked to me about the Vancouver Games said, "Wow, that Sidney Crosby sure is great".

To have Rafalski out with Hudler/Modano/Cleary for better puck distribution for a killer 3rd line scoring threat...nice.

I agree. (I do think it's funny though, that I want Dats and Z put back together because they make such a great pair, but I want Lids and Raffi split up to spread their puck moving skills to more lines). I really excited to see this team take the ice.

I think the original list is pretty good. WHile I would like to see Larianov on it, I don't know who I would take off it to make room for him. I deal with a lot of foreigners in my line of work. I can talk hockey with all the Canadians I meet, as well as all of the Swedes, including the women. However, being a lifelong Wings fan, it bumbs me out that none of the Russians that i work with know anything about the Russian hockey players.

Agreed.

Burrows' shoulder problem (that severly hamperred him in the playoffs) will most likely keep him out the beginning of the season, so Sammy will probably start the season with the Sedins.

The Canucks should have gone after Moore like McCarty went after Kez instead of ***** footing around. McCarty didn't even think about, it was a natural reaction. That and the fact that he's so incredibly over-hyped and over-marketed.

oops. Sorry guys. Now that you say that, I totally see how it can be taken that way. But trust me, thats not the way I meant it at all. Apologies to the OP. Meant it to be like we're all jonesin for some hockey just like the OP said and have run out of things to post about. You know, like, "we've posted a thead on every single topic in the hockey world, I want to help get him out of his depression...but I can't think of anything we haven't already discussed...s***!" type of thing. Sorry to be such a dumbass. Sometimes my sense of humor does not transcend the internet. But more often, I'm just not that funny anyway.

Let's start a thread about... ... ... .... ... hmm.

Hmm. 5-6 Dman. Hopefully he'll be on ths ice at the same time as Modano and that little poo poo Tootoo.

I disagree. I've come to like the corner seats best, like that in the first picture. Whenever I went to Chiliwack to watch Matt Butcher play for the Chiefs I always could spot his father Garth in the corner seats. We'd go over and say hello and he said the corner seats were the best for watching the play develop. At first I just thought it was because as an NHL defensemen, he was more used to seeing the game as it came at him...but then I just realized that he was right, thats all. And for the Wings pregame warm-up, go stand directly behind the goal; unbeleivable.

Well, actually, there are sadder things