Uncle Danny

Not a Wings game, but a Sharks game (I moved to the Bay Area almost 12 years ago, otherwise the answer would be yes). The person below me always gets a hot dog when attending a sporting event...hungry or not.

Both...until January 15, then it's business as usual. Homeless or clotheless?

Yup. I think I won it in a cakewalk when I was 10. He didn't last long. The person below me is sick and tired of Charlie Sheen.

Here lies Pavel Datsyuk. All done. $5.

That's a pretty lame comparison, seeing as the Caps have accomplished exactly f*** all in the post season recently, and therefore should not be used as any sort of example for sweater letters...but just to entertain your argument for a moment: you do realize that Ovechkin's english is heads and shoulders better than Datsyuk's, yes?

Interesting -- where'd you hear this? That would be a pretty neat gesture on either player's part.

Sorry to be pedantic, but what I think what you meant is: "What I believe would be best for the team in the long run is for Draper to retire." Draper "should" retire when Draper feels like he has no more hockey at a top level left in him, or when he decides to become a lover of the life of leisure. If this season is any indication, now isn't when he "should" retire. Personally, I'd welcome him back for another season or two if his play doesn't decline. Part of what has made this organization great is their dedication and loyalty to those that made this one of the most successful and respected franchises in all of sports. Illitch was clear from day one that he wanted to run his team like a family, and we've all enjoyed the fruits of this philosophy. I understand why many of you say that it's time to give the kids a chance, but, from where I sit, that's Kris' decision to make (with some help from Ken), and I'll support whichever decision he makes. Giving him the respect to go out on his own terms is what separates our team from, say, Dallas giving Modano the boot.

I think that's what "retire" means And this is a word he's never used before, as stated many times in this thread.

Could be that the guy simply wanted to retire as an Av, and this was his/the brass' plan all along. I wasn't there, so no way I'll ever know. Either way, I loved to hate him in the 90's, and always loved his game. He was the definition of elite before his injuries. Say what you want about his numerous comeback attempts, the game will miss him.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Hitsville USA. http://www.motownmuseum.com/mtmpages/

Never stayed at the Westin, but both of the other options are solid. I'd personally opt for the Atheneum over the Ren Cen, though, given it's proximity to everything in Greektown (casino, restaurants, etc). Either way, you'll be in good hands, though. Welcome to Detroit!

Nick's enforcer is his powerplay.

Jeez louise. I had to stop after seven pages. Those guys are too much!

The best part about that fight with Barch was the background music. Classic.

I dunno. I have to go with Eva on this one. If Ken Holland had pulled a move like this, rolling the dice for tolling of the contract, we'd all be calling him a genius. Snow may be many things in this case, but dumb isn't one of them. The word "jerk" comes to mind, but so does the word "savvy."

Shawn Burr?

This cold? Damn right. Been sick for a week with it. The person below me still hasn't taken down their holiday decorations.

It's actually pronounced just like it appears in American english: "Guy Hebert." He's American, and from NY The whole French pronunciation began as a joke by one of the commentators during his time playing in college. http://www.nyshshca.org/guyhebert.htm

My lord, he looks like a child in that photo. Happy birthday, Kronner!

Watching the NJ feed -- I'm actually enjoying their commentators, much to my pleasant surprise.

That's a shame. He was always one of the only Stars I liked.... great two way play, and, as someone else already stated, underrated.

Like em Original 6: Yes, this includes the Burke Leafs and Chicago. Probably my least favorite are the Rangers, and that's just a hangover from them buying and wasting top tier talent in the 90's. Tampa Bay: Yzerman, Stamkos, Vinny, winning a cup for Dave Andreychuk... although they lose some points for how he went out. San Jose: I moved to the Bay Area almost 12 years ago. I can't help it. LA: Love their young talent. It's strange, though, as I absolutely hated them in the Lucky Luc/Rob Blake days... and not just because of 2001 Nashville: Serious respect for doing so much with so little. Colorado: This might be blasphemy, but I root for these guys now. The rivalry is dead, and we won. I feel it my duty to root for a fallen foe to get up off the ground and dust themselves off for another go at things. Washington: This has less to do with the team than the players, however. Just plain exciting to watch. Hate em Pittsburgh: Unlike many, I have always hated them, even when they were horrid. I will admit to liking Malkin, however. Anaheim, Calgary: Same reasons as everyone else. Philly: No idea why, I've just always hated this team, despite liking several of their players. Vancouver: The only time I rooted for this team was in 94, and even then I was only rooting for Linden and Bure (and against Mess). St. Louis: Probably a remnant of our late 90's playoff series against them. And Pronger. Dallas: I can count the things I like from Texas on one hand. The Stars are not one of them. Feel Sorry for em Phoenix/Winnipeg: I loved the Jets, and I loved Tkachuk's early ferocity. Now they're just pathetic. NY Islanders: Storied franchise. Were I an Isles fan, I would want to hunt down and kill every member of their front office from the past 15+ years. It's only a matter of time before Snow trades Tavares for Jack Johnson and a nudie mag, then signs his bottle of lotion to a 15 year contract. Florida: Aside from the Beezer's run in 96, what has this franchise ever had to get excited about?

This. He was never all that fun to watch play acutely, but boy did he put together a great career. Exactly the kind of blood and guts guy you want in the core of your franchise...plus he's a Spartan I doubt he'll make the HOF, unless they open a new wing for workhorses, but I'm very pleased to hear his team is doing right by him. Good luck in the second chapter of your career, Rod the Bod.

I think a lot of good predictions have been made, and can't really disagree with any of them (and lol'ed at the remark about Rafalski having the nerve to not be Nick). That said, I'd like to throw JHo into the mix. He's ripe for a sophomore slump, and we all know how we Detroit fans love to trash our goalies.

My wife told me, when we first started dating, that she truly likes hockey and enjoys going to games, but that she could never become a real fan because she gets too into it and would have a heart attack. I chuckled and chalked this up to her making an excuse not to have to watch every single game with me, and was thankful I had met someone who could enjoy live games with me when the Wings come to town (I live in CA). Well, we finally got to a game together last playoffs (game 2 vs. SJ). As you recall, this was one of the worst officiated games in the history of sports. By the end of the game, much to my surprise, my wife, who understands the basics of the game fairly well, was standing and screaming at the refs after yet another penalty was called. This was pretty awesome, but a one off experience, I figured, as it was SO horribly called. Even Sharks fans around us were pissed about it. Then came the 2010 Olympics. My wife is Russian, so her team was Russia, and she claimed that she didn't much care beyond that who won. If it wasn't Russia, it didn't matter. She obviously knew that I was going to watch every game involving Canada, Russia and the US, and decided this was a good time to watch with me. She quite literally cried when Russia was trounced, and, much to my surprise, became a HUGE USA supporter after watching their first game against Canada. During the gold medal game, she was covering her eyes, screaming, clapping and getting up and pacing frantically at each stoppage of play. It was then that I realized she hadn't been patronizing me at all with her first comments about never being able to become a real fan. She *would* have a heart attack from the stress of it. I count myself now doubly blessed, as I have a wife who will go to and watch important games with me AND honestly gets why I throw things at the TV sometimes. If that means she doesn't watch all the time with me, I think that's a fair tradeoff. She's more passionate about my favorite sport than I am, if only in small doses.