titanium2

Besides, this thread isn't meant to be one that pulls the injuries excuse card. It's more about our tendency to bash the Wings desire when we really don't know all that's going on.

TBH, the more I think about it, the more I realize how lucky Pittsburgh got. Don't get me wrong, the Pens wanted it more because they lost last year and they should celebrate and cherish their cup. It's just that when looking back I think the Wings skill and talent injured or not was equivalent to the Pens desire to win. That series was ridiculously close. The Pens got the edge in terms of luck of health and injuries to the other team.

I like this. Too bad they won't be on the team next year though. I'm thankful the Wings have had Sammy at the point and I do agree with Babs' L-R approach but I've been craving for something better. If only the Wings could somehow steal Anton Stralman from Toronto who projects to be like Kronwall except right handed. Oh well.

You know what? At first I didn't want Downey to have a role next year but now I've somewhat changed my mind. I wouldn't mind if Aaron Downey has a spot next year, but only because of a theoretical domino effect it may have. If we assume that Downey is a 4th liner and see that Draper, as a 4th line fixture, averaged 12 minutes a game, and had Downey play 5-7 minutes a game, that means 5-7 minutes are available for some of the guys who flip flop between the 2nd/3rd line. Like Filppula. Some say he plays better with more minutes. What if having Downey on the roster allows for Filppula to average 17-18 minutes a game, which is in the class of Franzen and Hossa and one minute less than Datsyuk and Zetterberg? And it's not just Filppula. What about Cleary or Helm? What if having Downey on the roster allows for some of our other players to get the bigger minutes they need to really thrive?

Those in my opinion are serious enough that you can't categorize them into the normal wear and tear of the playoffs that everybody deals with. What about Holmstrom? Knee, hip, pretty much everything. You wonder that if he had a more proper diet that he wouldn't be injured so often. I read this article where he said he often has chocolate milk and a club sandwich before he goes to bed the night before a game. Larionov would tell him to eat a fruit plate instead but obviously Homer went with the more yummy choice. Though that's not how it works for everybody, only some.

I didn't want to go that far. If I had those numbers then I probably would've just said it.

Is that a subtle shot at Gretzky or Mario?

Is there really any doubt? He got his number retired as a red wing. Some consider that as much harder to get into than the HOF.

This is one of the few things in which I agree with you. Generally speaking, centers are more valuable than wingers because they have to be responsible for more space on the ice. Malkin is more than responsible, despite what many Wings fans want to claim. You can call me crazy, but I think Malkin's upside is greater than Sid's.

Does the CBA allow for such things as 30 day contracts or something?

Seriously. The Pens wanted just a little more. Just a little. It helps being the loser from last year. But they got very, very lucky when you look at that injury list. They're not excuses and we don't want to use them as excuses. That doesn't mean they don't impact the game. And in a very close series as this year's finals was, anything would've given one team an edge. Anything. I know that not many people on this board watch basketball, but this year finals reminded me of the 88 NBA finals between LA and DET. LA barely won in 7, but everyone outside of LA knew that DET was the better team, and DET would prove it the following year.

Question. What's the likelihood of Lidstrom having a Norris caliber season next year?

The more I think about it, the more I see how close this series was. Any edge whatsoever was going to give one team the cup. Pens won it because they wanted it just a tiny bit more and they got really, really lucky the Wings had one of the oddest list of injuries I've ever seen. Testicles. Appendicitis. Ugh.

For the first time, I actually agree with something this guy has said. At least the beginning. Congratulations on getting lucky enough in that the series was as close as can be and some of the Wings were recovering from among the most unusual of injuries. When you play an opponent with your top defenseman recovering from testicular surgery, come talk to us. I'm not as sure about the Pens but the Wings aren't getting back to the finals next year. Not unless they overhaul their roster with a bunch of players who won't play in the Olympics next year.

What made the team in 2008 so great was their chemistry, both on the ice and off the ice. It's obvious that Hossa makes great chemistry off the ice. But seriously, what about on the ice? Make a list of players with whom he's had as great a chemistry as Franzen-Filppula, Hudler-Filppula, Hudler-Helm. Notice that I didn't even include Datsyuk-Zetterberg within that criteria. I'd be surprised if anyone could find 2 players while almost everyone else in the top-9 is like a carbon atom.

It's a different game now. One that truly emphasizes youth, speed and conditioning.

I'm not sure if you've really added anything new that would require something that I haven't already said. Sure, I guess, but a bigger part of being captain is to pay respects to your opponent. I'm sure at this point that you're thinking "well, Draper didn't do it either," but the thing is, he waited as long as any loser in the past was willing to wait. You can choose not to shake hands, but there are consequences to that. There's a reason why he doesn't get that much personal respect from other players in the league. I guess that hasn't changed. I did find it odd that he appeared to be the only player in a uniform around a bunch of suits while his teammates were well in line. You say being a captain, I say, buying time so he can choose to act immature. He just loves publicity and drama. You get more press when you act immature.

I don't think it's going to happen. The Wings were lucky enough to get as far as they did. I have a sense that no team will come as close as they did to repeating. Unless the Pens can sign a driven superstar for a bargain price then I think the hangover will overwhelm them in the 2nd or 3rd round. As for the Wings, the Olympics are next year. I'm not exactly sure about this but the Wings are bound to send more players than any other team. None of them will publicly admit it, but if they had to choose between a Stanley Cup and a Gold Medal to give pride to the country in which they grew up and provided the foundation to the very core of their human identity, they're probably more willing to sacrifice for the gold. How are they supposed to do that and go deep into the playoffs next year?

In terms of doing things around the community, it's a great thing, but that doesn't make him any more special than any other superstar in the league. Every star does work in the community. It's an unspoken rule that they're supposed to. It's just that some get more publicity over others. I don't believe in the diving and whining criticism for Sid. I have many, but that's not one of them. He's the captain. He's supposed to whine. Many Wings fans here refuse to admit it but Yzerman whined as much as any superstar in the league. It just looks worse for Sid because he has a whiny type of face that looks really ugly when he whines. I'm not criticizing, I'm just stating observations. Blame God for that. IMO, the only thing that makes Sid appear more special than others is his age and the human obsession of youth over wisdom. For his age, he's right where he should be in terms of maturity. However, like it or not, if you want his kind of fame and publicity, then you better be able to accept the consequences of it. I'd say he's doing an ok job so far. There are much better examples such as Jonathan Toews.

I agree. Hockey fans in general are just clinging to any criticism they can find when they say he doesn't play defense.

He probably did use the memories. He probably knew that the opponents were pissed and wanted to pay his respects before they angrily got off the ice knowing that he had all night and all summer to celebrate with his teammates.

You have to be lucky to win and it is my opinion that since the series was so close that the Pens got way lucky in the form of Wings injuries. On the other hand, the Wings were really unlucky. I mean, a severe injury to a top-2 PK defenseman, sporadic injuries to top players throughout the playoffs, and an injury to Nick's ********? When does that ever happen? The series was so close that any kind of edge whether it was Bettman or whatever would put one team over the other.

Don't count on it. If a recipe works, then you gotta stick with it.

I think it's stupid as well but it's not that unfathomable. Just think of the names that eventually became Wings. Chelios. Derian Hatcher. Bertuzzi. Ulf Samuelsson. The Wings take anybody and everybody if they will help them win. That's all.

Maybe that's Hossa's problem. He pretends as if he doesn't like having to be "the man" but deep down he knows that he should be. How could he possibly push himself to be better that way if he's on a team in which he knows it isn't needed?