Uncle Danny

Any GM willing to pay 8.5 for Gaborik needs his head checked. The guy is major contributor when healthy, but has proven himself to be injury prone and subject to untimely naps in the clutch. At age 26, he is heading into his "prime," which means by the time a rebuilding team like LA is able to take advantage of his contributions for the half season he'll play, he'll be on the downside of his career. This is not a move that will make any bottom tier team a contender. It *is*, however, a move that could take a potential six or seven seed and make them scary come March. LA is rebuilding, this is not the guy they need for that effort. EDIT: clarity

Umm, whom exactly are you arguing with? I didn't see any mention in the quoted post of Leino, nor any disparaging of Hudler's defensive abilities (aside from stating the obvious that Flip is better in that department, which is no insult to Rex). In fact, I see you almost making the argument that this scenario IS possible, given that we agree on Babcock's explanation (taking you at your word here on the quote) for Hudler's demotion being press friendly garbage. Reread and I think you'll see that this portion of the thread was based on the decision being made FOR Z and not AGAINST Hudler.

Random thought re: Hudler with regard to Z's line. Z is, for obvious reasons, going to play on the top or 2nd line. It's entirely possible that he requested or at least suggested the change in order to get some more defensive play on his line. This frees him up to be more creative in the offensive zone, knowing that his linemates are among the better defensive players on his team. Now, I'm not sure that's what happened here, but it did strike me as possible that the move had less to do with Hudler than it did with Z. Obviously, something worked, as the man had one hell of a game last night.

The Wings took stupid penalties. The Wings lost. End of story. Prologue: They can't win every single game, and quite often the refs will be blowing their whistles during those games that the Wings lose. It happens, and quite often it should happen. I'm as upset about the loss to those Anaheim freaks as anyone here, but pointing fingers like this is ... less than becoming. The Wings lost. The Wings face the Sharks tomorrow. Let's hope the Wings don't repeat the silly mistakes they made tonight and move on.

Osgood for favorite. Has been since he came into the league. Yes, I know that makes me a homer. HM: Beezer Mike Richter Eddie the Eagle Cujo Hasek Hextall Ryan Miller

ESPN Magazine

I'm admittedly behind the curve here. Why did he get bought out? His stats hadn't fallen off tooo drastically, from what I can see. Was he vastly overpaid? Or a lockeroom jerk or something? I liked him quite a bit while he was with the Isles.

Yes. Let's please have more Martin Brodeurs, Joe Thorntons and Mats Sundins to market our sport around. Get over yourself.

Bida beat me to it

Draper only has two years of Red Wings seniority on Fedorov. Lidstrom only has four, both including the current season.

egroen: I have to tell you that I've agreed with almost every single word you've typed in this thread. Well played, old man. I'm firmly in the camp that Fedorov should have his number retired. Always have been. Sure, he's a head case, but the same could be said (and has, here) for Sawchuk and Lindsay. He left his country and family to play here, gave us 13 years (ok, 12.5 with the holdout) and three cups. No one in their right mind can dispute his importance to those three championships. And, as eva mentioned and everyone promptly ignored, he did NOT leave for more money. I cringe every time I read that. I suggest people reread eva's post the next time those words approach your fingertips. To round things out, my opinions (and yes, this entire post is nothing more than my humble opinions) on the other players mentioned for number retirement. Lidstrom: Lock Osgood: I'm on the fence. If we get another cup while he's here, definitely. I certainly would have no problem with his number being raised, but I'm skeptical that it ever will. Draper: See above re: Osgood. His numbers may not be there, but this man embodies what it means to be a Red Wing... and has for a decade and a half. Maltby: Nope. I love the guy, but nope. Chelios: No, not in Detroit. Probably in Chicago. Probably not in Montreal, as they're already running out of numbers Vlady: I actually like the unspoken retirement for him. No one should ever wear his number again, but his time was too short for it to be raised. Plus, looking at his banner in the rafters would be a constant reminder of a terrible tragedy. Shanny: I love the guy, even as a Ranger. s***, I loved him as a Blue, believe it or not. But no. His length of service wasn't long enough, nor did he help build the Yzerman era. He was, perhaps, the final missing piece, but he wasn't around for the foundational work. Great guy, HHOF lock, and a fun player to watch (anyone else remember Mac and Lapointe adopting his knee down one timer once he came to the team?), but not for the rafters. Again, just my opinion. EDIT: Forgot Shanny

Can't say that I loved The Code. The anecdotes are worth the read (and price) but the rest of the writing was rather amateurish. Blood Feud and What it Means to be a Red Wing are both great, though. Highly recommended. For the Love of Hockey is also a good compilation of many stars' favorite hockey stories.

Sorry for not wading through 28 pages to see if this was already discussed, but Flip was 73% on faceoffs tonight? 11/15 ???? Dayuhm!!!!!

I'm sure this info is elsewhere, but I'm in a scramble to get watching! Is there anywhere to watch this online? I have gamecenter, but it's freaking blacked out?!?!?!

Thank you for that valuable insight.

Yikes. I'd hate to be a Blues fan. This poor team can't catch a break in recent years.

I'll be honest...I've never liked Red Wings as a team name. Sure, I love the team, but the name has a "what the hell does that mean?" ring to it for me. Names I like: Canadiens ("Habs" is also a great nickname) Rangers Sharks Oilers Blackhawks Capitals (although mostly because they get called the "Caps," which rolls off the tongue nicely) Avalanche (Avs, again is a nickname I like) Bruins Names I don't like: Senators Ducks Lightning Wild Maple Leafs (yes, I understand why it's a good name for that franchise, it just sounds ugly to me) Blue Jackets Panthers (so generic) I always liked the Winnepeg Jets as well. It has a nice ring to it.

I've debated internally about what the outcome in terms of personal opinion would be if Yzerman went to another organization, seeing as he's one of my idols. The resounding answer has been that the organization he lands at instantly becomes my second favorite hockey club. The man is 75% of the reason I love hockey. The other 25% is also likely attributable to him indirectly.

Oh no she ditn't!!!!

Very good point.

From TSN: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=250802&amp...=headlines_main

Yeah. This should help Kovalchuk's numbers, but it's a sad way for Schenider to end his career. I wonder what they gave up for him?

Sorry if this has already been posted, but according to ESPN, Schneider is now a Thrasher. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/index

Atlanta defeats Florida on Saturday

Holy crap does Howe look old... makes me feel, umm, old.