titanium2

Haha... At first I didn't read that correctly and thought it said 1972 and thought, 'That wasn't the year the Hawks last won the cup was it? Nooo that's not right.' But I don't know. I'll come up with something and I'm sure Pavel will greatly approve the shenanigans.

I suspected that. You're quite a feisty one. True, true. They did have some really good image boys back then. Like for me I think it was Fedorov that first got me into the game. Looking back on it I don't think I've seen a more talented player than he was in his prime. However, it was Stevie and Nick that kept me interested in it as well as actually playing the sport with friends.

Oh ok. Sowee. But that Pav and Hoss thing didn't work so I should probably adjust my approach. First time I just played with the calendar date. Second time I made it more salient to the Wings. I should probably go more general like the first time... Weather? I don't know.

...Whoa... How'd you become a Wings fan?

Wow... He should be playing with Franzen and someone else.

Now as in right now?

Father not watching it? Not a Wings fan?

Ozzie has been a real MVP for the Wings so far. He's their playoff MVP in my opinion.

Ridiculous. At least he made up for his failed clearing attempt. But oh man do we have a series or what? Gotta get at least one of the two in Chi-town. Isn't the hate-love relationship that the Wings have with Sammy a crazy thing? Oh, and... I'm 2-0 in victory posts threads. Maybe I can get a hot streak going. Though my ploy to send good juju to 13 and 81 didn't really work. I gotta make some adjustments.

More like intent to keep the games competitive and close and thus entertaining for fans not in Detroit or Chicago. More entertainment, more revenue, NHL pays bills, Bettman gets his yacht, etc.

Oh don't pretend like you don't want a piece.

How the hell did he get 7th? IMO he doesn't even deserve to be in the top 15 let alone 7th.

I know seriously. It almost makes me want to buckle down and learn Russian. If you think Pav is funny in English he's probably 10x funnier in Russian. Oh, and Pav seemed to be better at getting the puck to the middle guy and that's just one on one with the goalie from there. In general though Pav just has quicker hands. You can see it in his real hockey passing.

Thankfully the Wings have some really promising goaltending prospects. They're going to need them to pick up the rest of the slack left over from the Ericssons and Kronwalls.

What the hell? Why is Sharp on the 4th line? Hawks line combinations http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=294513 Troy Brouwer-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane Andrew Ladd-Dave Bolland-Martin Havlat Kris Versteeg-Sammy Pahlsson-Dustin Byfuglien Ben Eager-Adam Burish-Patrick Sharp Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook Brian Campbell-Niklas Hjalmarsson Cam Barker-Matt Walker

Yeah me too. He gets a lot of joy and pride out of playing big minutes. It's really hard to let go of an elite defenseman status into a top-six guy who only plays 10 minutes. Nick said it himself, he's no Chelios.

Anyone think he's the type who can adjust easily to playing third-pairing minutes?

-Intensity. -Good start. -Sustained offensive pressure. -Smart defense. -Production out of the Datsyuk line. Make my nagging suspicion that they haven't outgrown that "playoff underachiever label" shut up for a little bit.

Whoa.... Wow.... Thems be fightin' words. Sorry but that just opened up the floodgates with me. Mike Babcock in my eyes is the best coach in the NHL. First of all, to some it may just be a line on a resume, but I find it amazing that he has a Masters degree in Sports Psychology. Now, he probably didn't have in mind that he wanted to be a coach while he was studying, but I like that he can bring that sort of approach to coaching. You're dealing with athletes but you're also dealing with human beings. Certain nuances such as habits, motivation, self-esteem, confidence and cognitive behavioral thought processes are really important in sports. Along with other details such as a concern for not only which skills and abilities fit well together but also which personalities fit together. Many people go through college and don't use their degrees in their jobs but I have no doubt that his education enhanced his understanding of athletes and their psychological processes, which goes well with his ability to coach. What I find most interesting about him is his ability to have perspective and self-awareness; being aware of the things you can control and the things you can't. It's almost like a spiritual aspect of him. You listen to him in press conferences and sometimes he gets really philosophical. It's sometimes strange and yet quite interesting. All in all, I think his approach really helps him to be an excellent coach. Other than that he just has the traits of any great coach in sports today. He's fiercely competitive that it's infectious to his players. He loves winning and hates losing. He's incredibly afraid of being unprepared, which leads to his obsession with making sure everyone's prepared. Last but not least, he's a no-nonsense, direct kind of person, which is the type that tends to be really effective in coaching. I know it's probably some 14 year old that made that stupid comment but I just really felt as if I had to defend and demonstrate how incredibly unfounded that statement was.

You tell 'em sister! Damn, you f'n OWNED that post!

I think the Pens got a pretty good killer instinct right now. But how that would work against the Wings/Hawks I have no idea.

Rick Nash.

Malkin.

Yup it's like living in the suburbs. What color should the drapes be?--versus--Where's my next meal going to come from?

Yeah really. He wore 81 with Team Slovakia and that at least induces memories of playing with other European friends and more of a puck possession style. 18 reminds him of his days of Ottawa, Atlanta and Pittsburgh... Which would you pick?