Uncle Danny

Blake's been relatively quiet so far. Not much of an audition 18 minutes in

Nice save by Ozzie on Frolov. He looks sharp tonight. The Kings have been coming at him fairly well.

That shot was Shanny-esque, circa 1997. Awesome.

Funny how in one thread here people are complaining about Z not getting his due, stardom wise, and in here people are saying they're glad he's going to sit out his second all-star game. Just an observation, mind you. Personally, I'm glad Z is resting up, and I honestly think sending Niedermayer is a good thing for the league. He's got a huge name, reputation and list of accomplishments. The whole point of the ASG (IMO) is to draw in more of the casual fans, and to hopefully see them watch more games down the stretch. Having the storied captain of the Cup champs there is a great talking point. *shrug* For reasons obvious to most on this board, I'm not a fan of the man, but you can't dispute how important to the league he's been. If the ASG was an actual exhibition designed to showcase and reward the top performers in the league, I'd be a little upset. Given that it isn't intended to be said showcase, I think it's a solid decision. As an aside, Duck Guy, why are you on a Red Wings board? That's not intended as an insult, as I actually enjoy most of your posts. I'm just curious why a Ducks fan would hang out here.

Lidstrom Zetterberg Draper Datsyuk Cleary Osgood Filppula Maltby Chelios Holmstrom Rafalski Kronwall Hasek Drake Hudler Downey Lebda Samuelson Lilja Franzen Kopecky Ellis Meech Hartigan

Wow. Lots of Sakic love. Good to see. I hate the Avs as much as the next guy (here), but he's a class act. I, like some above, have only answered for those I have an actual opinion about. Anaheim - Schneider Atlanta - Kozlov Boston - Ward Calgary - Iginla Chicago - Kane Columbus - Fedorov or Zherdev Colorado - Sakic Dallas - Modano Detroit - Lidstrom Minnesota - Gaborik Montreal - Kovalev New Jersey - I ******* hate this team. NY Islanders - Dipietro NY Rangers - Shanny Ottawa - Emery Philadelphia - Briere Phoenix - Jovo/The Great One Pittsburgh - Malkin San Jose - Marleau St. Louis - Manny Tampa Bay - Vinny Toronto - Sundin Vancouver - Bobby Lou Washington - A.O. Jesus -- what a front runner I sound like! Guess I'm rooting for the NHL in general more than any given player.

I watch as many games as I can, but being in CA without a DVR makes it tough to catch some east coast games. Try explaining to work that you have to leave at 4:30 several times a week That said, when I'm doing desk work I listen or try to catch them on centerice online. I did list myself as a huge fan, though, as I live and breath Red Wings hockey, and have for nearly 15 years. I never miss a box score, interview or article about them, and my entire office is adorned with autographs, jerseys and posters of the Free Press front pages from their cup runs. And come playoff time, no man, woman, child or pack of wild horses can keep me away from the television.

Look, whether or not you appreciate the hype machine or Crosby's game (which I will officially call you an idiot for if you don't), it's silly and stupid to laugh when the face of a struggling league gets hurt before one of their biggest showcases. If you sincerely laugh at this, then I expect no bitching about the lack of national coverage for the NHL from you, and I also expect you to accept Barry Melrose's descriptions and analysis of the league today without whining. Do I think Crosby is the next coming? No. Do I think he is the best marketing tool available to the league since long before Feds came into his own and since Kariya shat the bed? Absolutely. As such, it's our duty as hockey fans to support him unless we want to be relegated to MLS status. Just my .02.

Outside of the Swedish connection, what could Lids extension possibly have to do with signing Forsberg? What am I missing? That said, I'd take him as a rental, so long as it doesn't interfere with getting Hank his deal down the road.

Ummm...no. For all the reasons stated above PLUS the fact that, if memory serves, Yzerman was on record long before his final season as saying that he would retire if traded away from the Wings. Remember those Senators rumors?

Nothing to add here that hasn't already been said. Great post, and here's hoping the second verse is the same as the first!

I'd contact them before providing any info to make sure it's legit. There is form here that you can use: http://nhl.com/cgi-bin/dbforms.pl?form=2

I voted Edmonton and Nashville, although in retrospect, I wish I'd picked Florida since they have two teams and don't deserve either one. Nashville has just been such a clusterf*** of an organization, I gave them the nod instead. I only picked Edmonton because of the history of the other eastern conference Canadian teams (and current skill level of Ottawa), and not wanting to touch the western I honestly wouldn't want to remove any Canadian teams, though. I would get rid of the Panthers and Preds, and move the Ducks (renaming them the Seals, of course) to San Francisco so I could watch games without leaving town while simultaneously pissing off the three real hockey fans in LA.

While fighting no longer has the appeal it did to me when I was younger and more full of piss and vinegar, I definitely still enjoy watching willing participants scrap within the code. I think it definitely has a place in the game, strategically and in terms of policing dirty play. That said, I don't buy the arguments that fighting is the only way for this policing to occur. Anecdotally, Kronwall just (as in less than 10 minutes ago) laid a nice, legal, open ice hit in retribution to a heavy hit on (I think) Franzen seconds before. No gloves were dropped, but the message was clear. Would I watch less hockey if they removed fighting from the game? Hell no. Would I think it was a stupid move and miss watching them? Absolutely. As a quick tangent, I often hear the argument that removing fights would draw more fans, as many avoid the game due to the violence. My question is: who the hell are these people saying that they don't watch the game due to fighting? I've never, ever encountered someone that held that opinion. It smacks to me of the NHL wanting to eliminate a perceived controversy, rather than anything based on actual market research. The only people I can possibly imagine saying that are "concerned citizens" that would never watch a period of hockey anyway, regardless of my personal favorite major penalty's presence. For the love of God, think of the children!

Oof. I'm glad your name isn't Babcock. Great avatar, though.

True that. Does no one else remember 95-96? I'm bullish on our chances this year, but history has proven that the Wings are never a lock.