titanium2

I think it's fitting that the Wings are finally getting some quality goaltending prospects because they'll need them after Lidstrom leaves. Also, at this point, nobody in the defense corps screams "No. 1 defenseman" but neither did Lidstrom when he was in their stage of development. At this point, my bets are on Big E. Him and Kronner can be the new Nick and Rafi.

If we want Fil to be the best player he can be then he needs to have consistent time in the top-6. Either on Pav's wing or as center for his own line. Unlike Hudler, he has the size, speed and defensive aptitude to be a real top-6 player. He's not going to play regular season games like playoff games, but he still needs to get used to the minutes. And I'd hold off on the Lilja hopes. Last I read they were guessing he won't be back until after right before the all-star break.

Haha... Claiming Sid as a dependent. That's funny. He really is Sid the Kid.

More like season ticket holders are struggling to pay the bills and so they sold their tickets to Pens fans.

What about after last year when he left the Pens? His determination didn't really carry over into the playoffs. I guess my main point is that if you want determination, he's not the guy for it. I think many only misperceive him as determined because of his ridiculous speed when he's on his game and doesn't have other players obstructing his space.

He doesn't live in the basement. He lives in something comparable to a poolhouse. It's a house of one of the greatest players to ever play the game, of course he's going to have many little houses next to the big one.

It'll be easier to have perspective as soon as we see how the Pens defend it all. I don't think any team will get as close to repeating as the Wings did.

I guess the truth is whatever you want to believe in this situation because both sides are only going to say whatever makes them look as best as they can.

Mmm... Not exactly. They instructed the refs to keep the game competitive. But sure, the preference was going to go towards whoever was the "sexier" winner and Pittsburgh fought hard enough to be in the finals and give themselves that opportunity. That's just how it goes. I used to think ideas like that were stupid. But when you see how the NBA operates and how Bettman has to keep the NHL competitive in order for the league to exist then it's understandable as to why they do such things. I'm not really trying to discount the Pens win. It's just the game and world we live in and you have to learn how to play it otherwise you lose.

Investing excessive emotion and hope into the Red Wings/Sports is not an indication that you are a better fan than others. It's simply an indication that you choose to neglect other areas of your life that probably need more attention.

The NHL is a first and foremost a business. They will do whatever they have to do to increase revenue. I do think that the league/officials had a bias and gave the Pens a favorable call in terms of timing, getting the first power play, etc. At the same time, I think it is something the Red Wings can overcome. Like it or not, it's part of the game and I think they knew that.

I just realized that Maggie the Monkey turned out to be right.

Who said the odds were low? I think this group has 3-5 years of serious cup contention.

Pav-Z-Cleary Mule-Fil-Leino Abby??-Helm-Sammy ??-Drapes-Malts Swede-Rafi Nick Jr-Stewie Big E-Lils Lebs

Please. Let it go. He's not worth it.

I'm going to try to change the direction of this thread. What's more impressive? Being the youngest captain or the first European born and trained captain to hoist a cup? I know I'm biased but I say European. North Americans grow up with the NHL style right from pee-wees. Euros have to adjust to a new culture and lifestyle when they make the move.

You say merge I say crumble to the ground. I wish that Detroiters would storm their offices and have a revolution. And if that's the way the Pirates are then I hope the same for you too. It's the worst kind of people running an organization.

It's fair based on his salary and regular season performance. But the thing is, now I know what to expect from him if he stays a Wing. I won't expect anything more than great defense and goals that barely hit double digits.

Sure. The Wings battled hard and managing the Stanley Cup hangover is one of the hardest things to do in this parity filled world. Is it so hard for you to give the Pens credit? They wanted it more and they took advantage of their opportunities.

What makes the Lions so bad is that they appear to be a business more than anything. They don't seem to care about winning as so much selling tickets and feeding off America's love for football. They know football is the dominant sport and they know that they will receive a certain income from selling x amount of tickets and they're more than happy with that. They sound like drug dealers to me. Is that how the Pirates are?

Oh no I'm sorry I didn't mean you. I should've said that in the beginning. Your allowed to have emotions and opinions and I respect them. I don't agree with the whole put people on ignore thing unless it's severely chronic, which is the case for some on here. There were just too many that were bashing while play was still going on. They exaggerate the lows but barely acknowledge the highs. It's as if they enjoy spreading misery. It's a lot easier to put a team down while they're losing instead of having some guts and investing some faith. In regards to interaction with others and maybe situations where they have power over someone, that works sometimes but over the long term it does more damage. But I really didn't mean that as a personal attack on you and for that I apologize. In my view you're not one of those people.

I'm not turning on him. He's a good player. I'm just trying to understand what we should expect from him. Now I know.

Anaheim? No way. They had the biggest mental advantage over the Wings and the Wings finally conquered that demon.

I felt like he was a perimeter player during the regular season. I wasn't waving the flag-I was happy he was scoring goals but at the same time I had this nagging feeling that he wasn't going to score the way he did in the playoffs.

Definitely. It's just that while the game is going on the constant bashing isn't helpful at all for anything.