Uncle Danny

Horosho. Horosho. Good times

Hey all, sorry to open a topic for something that only requires a one word answer, but... Will the season opener in Sweden be played on an Olympic sized rink, or will they retrofit something to NHL regulation?

I think that's part of it, but the Red Wings hold a special place for a lot of Russians. Even my wife, a Russian immigrant, who could give a flying flip about hockey, could name every player on the Russian 5 before I ever came on the scene. Same goes for her dad, her brother, her mother, etc... I'm sure those five folks have something to do with the fact that most Russian players would name Detroit as a possible destination.

I also have all four championship front pages framed and hanging on the wall of my office. Looking at them right now and smiling. Stevie lifting his first cup in both the freep and the news have the honored spots right in front of where I sit and work all day. Although, living in California, I've had to settle for reprints

Well played, sir. I voted with my heart and not my head. It was a tossup between Chelios and Mac, and I went with Chelios since we'll likely see him in another uniform, and Mac will be calling games somewhere in Michigan soon. Had I voted with my head, I'd have probably skipped the obvious Hossa vote, as we all knew he was likely a one year lease and gone with Sammy. Something about the guy cried out x-factor to me. He played multiple roles, was darn cheap and was obviously well liked by the team and staff alike. As someone else stated, a two way forward who puts up the number of points he did (many of them clutch) and able to take on PP duties as a D-man for the price we were paying for him is a rare thing indeed. I would have briefly considered Conklin as well, but only briefly. He performed admirably when Ozzie faltered, but Howard is unproven as a positive OR a negative. I, personally, think he'll perform above (relatively low) expectations. You just can't judge a guy by nine NHL games.

I can't fathom why San Jose would make that deal. They give up three underperformers in order to get two back in return? Huet over Nabokov? This has to be false.

Bowman has proven himself to be the greatest hockey brain ever time and time again by adjusting the needs of the current market...from players as cogs to players as prima-donnas to, to, to... One era he hasn't yet proven himself in is the cap era. This is new territory to him, at 70, just like it is to the rest of the NHL. A couple things have me questioning his ability to once again keep up with the times. The first is his age. The old adage that you can't teach an old dog new tricks has to catch up with his Scotty-ness at some point. He's no spring chicken, after all. The second is that his prior stint as Gm didn't go so well... in fact, if I'm remembering correctly (and I'm happy to be proven wrong by those with more energy for Google than I have at the moment) it led to one of his few stints that led to zero Stanley Cups. That's not to discount his importance in the Chicago think tank. I'm just saying, let's not get ahead of ourselves here proclaiming that he's fourteen steps ahead of Kenny, especially given that he holds no real title.

Which doesn't exist and states my own point better than I've been able to thus far. Spasibo.

YES, DUDE, IT DID! My original post was in reponse to this: "Just put the $$$ that would've been spent on Hudler towards a bid on Neil, & call it a day," which implies that Hudler is not worth as much as Chris Neil when talking pocketbooks. I called hogwash on that. I never said Neil wouldn't benefit the team, nor did I say that his role was less important. I think it goes without saying that scoring is worth more $$$ on the market than PIMs, even if both roles are important to a cup run. Scoring is redundant to a team that just lost a 40 goal man? I agree with you on the Draper and Maltby fronts, FWIW. Edit: Typo

Jiri Hudler: 57p +7 16PIM 17ESG 6PPG 2GWG Chris Neil: 10p -13 146PIM 3ESG 0PPG 0GWG

$7.5 million to watch his hangnails heal? No thanks. This was a horrible signing. I can't believe someone was willing to gamble that much cap space/hard cash on someone whose heart and skeleton are made of balsa wood.

What're you a lawyer or something? Did you even read my post? Firstly, I never said we should pay $3million for Hudler. In fact, I said the opposite. Reading comprehension. Live it. Learn it. Secondly, at age 25, Hudler is still before his statistical peak (roughly, age 27), while Neil is past his. Why is this so hard to grasp? Moot point now, anyway. Neil isn't going anywhere, and you can bet your sweet bippy that Hudler is reading a nice offer sheet from Holland right now. EDIT: While we're at it, why is it inconceivable to you that Hudler would see increased minutes over the course the next five years as a Wing (at the end of which, btw, he'll only be 30 years old)? Homer is guaranteed to be retiring soon -- his body just can't take it anymore. That frees up at least one slot in the top six, and that's just off the top of my head. I'm not a huge Hudler fan, but you're just being silly.

Wait, seriously? I hope that was sarcasm meant to mock to monkey-see attitude in a lot of the posts here and not a serious statement. You'd rather have Neil than Hudler? You think the offers being tossed at Neil (~$2 million) are actually reasonable? Please back up this assertion or forfeit your hockey fan card immediately. EDIT: To be clear, I don't think either of them is a $2 million player, but I'll take Hudler's scoring bent over Neil's PIMs for the price any day of the week. PP specialists are not all that common, and Hudler is only 25. Neil is 30, and his numbers on the decline. Read: Hudler's point numbers should increase, while Neil's minutes and point numbers will continue to decline. I would be all in favor of signing both for ~$3 million, but that isn't going to happen. Given the financial reality of today's NHL, I'll take Hudler (and a lot of flack for that opinion, I'm sure)... especially after adding Ericsson and losing Hossa.

This is a tough one. As with everyone else here, the Wings are tops, but I guess I'm going to have to break the question in two in order to answer it correctly. As a hockey fan, and not just a Wings fanboy, there are teams that I have historically liked, and then there are teams that currently have players I like for one reason or another. TEAMS I CONSISTENTLY CHEER ON: Habs, Bruins, Leafs, Rags... oh bloody hell, I realize I just namechecked most of the 06. Ha, I guess I like old time hockey... but the Hawks are tough for me to get behind to this day. TEAMS WITH PLAYERS I LIKE, EVEN THOUGH I DISLIKE THE TEAM: Hawks (Their young core is tough not to cheer for), Caps (The Russian connection), Canes (I really like their current style and chutzpah), Sharks (I'm perhaps the only Marleau fan left on the planet), Philly (Richards in a Wings uniform? *drooool*). I even like Malkin a great deal, but you'll never catch me rooting for his team. I've always hated the Pens, and have more reason to now than ever.

I think this sums up my feelings pretty well. There is no excuse for him not shaking Lidstrom's hand, and it was on Crosby's shoulders to make it happen, as a gracious winner and captain. He didn't, instead deciding the media was more important (because lord knows they wouldn't have been there 30 seconds following the handshake). Either way, though, this is a blip on the radar. He's a spoiled baby, and I don't think anyone outside of Pittsburgh or a Pens jersey would argue otherwise. I'm not going to lose any sleep over this, and I doubt Nick did either. If anything this just fuels the fire to shut him down in the playoffs next year for a third season running. Congrats to Pittsburgh, congrats to Malkin. Hell, I'll even congratulate MAF and Talbot on one hell of a series. Crosby, though...

I was waiting for you to chime in Horrible trade for the Kings, if this is true. I can't begin to understand why they'd make such a trade. Great news for Duck Guy, though!

Win it so Mister Puck will go away. You, sir, are a dick. I'm not arguing your points, I'm not debating your posts, I'm just stating fact. You're a dick. EDIT: OT, win it for my wife. I'll be an ornery SOB all weekend if we lose.

This and "The Hudlers" end this thread. Well played!!!!!!

Man, it's a good thing their team is better at playing hockey than their fans are at coming up with insults. That was pathetic.

You and me both, kid. Well said. Great post by the OP as well. I had a blast reading it, and could relate on many levels.

Thank you, gentlemen. Everyone getting up in arms needs to seriously get over things. Malkin hardly stomped on Z's leg with a skate or chopped him in the head with his stick. He's a competitive kid, and his emotions got the better of him. No one got hurt (thankfully), so lettem play. I actually gained a little respect for Geno tonight, despite him attacking one of my favorite players. This is the Cup Finals, not a daycare center.

The Ducks would have dismantled Washington. The Hawks would have taken out the Canes. The Pens frighten me more this year than last, but those are my blood pressure's saving graces right now. I firmly believe that had the Ducks not played Detroit this post season, they'd be hoisting the Cup in 2009.

stormboy: thank you, and well put. there aren't many on this board who make consistent sense, but you are one of them.

No problems here with Pang. He knows the game and seems to be a likable guy. As someone else already stated, he's Stevie's friend and played some minor league hockey in Saginaw (my hometown). I suppose people will always find a reason to ***** about commentators, though.