Sergeiwasmyfav

I would love to see Sergei back here. I agree with you 100%, and I think it is also worth noting that he always raised his level of play in the playoffs. He was a huge part of our Cup wins in 97, 98, and '02. He is older now, but I think he could still contribute, and being in the playoffs again with the Wings may rejuvinate his play.

Me too. Those overtime goals from center ice really added some excitement to the playoffs that year . Seriously though, Ozzie is a good goalie, he played fine in '98 and he actually really is one of my favs on the team. I can just recognize that even my favorite players are not perfect and there is no harm in having some fun with it. Fedorov was always my favorite before he left (I still like him) but I recognized that he could be lazy at times and didn't always put 100% into his play and I joked about it.

This is disappointing b/c Kronwall was really coming into his own this season. Hopefully he is not out too long. The frequency with which he gets injured is concerning, however. And it's not just little injuries or precautionary measures that keep him out of games. He seems to be afflicted with injuries that are always pretty serious. I can deal with Zetterberg missing a couple of weeks a season due to back spasms as long as he comes back and can play at least 90% of the games and in the playoffs. Kronwall's injuries frustrate me more b/c they keep him out a lot longer. I know it's not his fault; it's just a little disappointing as a fan. Hopefully, this injury will not follow the pattern of the others and he will be back soon!

I just don't think Osgood played as well in the playoffs in 1998 as Hasek did in 2002. You can give all the facts you want, but that is my opinion. It is just my opinion, and I am not saying it is right or wrong or that everyone else should agree. If you think Ozzie was better in '98, then that's great. I just personally do not. However, I think my post made it pretty clear that I am a bigger fan of Ozzie's than I am of Hasek's (although I do like Dom). It was not a personal attack on Ozzie. Geez.

I am torn on this issue. My heart says to start Ozzie if he keeps playing the way he has been. He is doing great. However, my head says to go with Dom. I think Dom is a clutch player who really brings it when it's really on the line. I realize they have both won a Stanley Cup with the Wings as the starting goalie in the playoffs. I can't help but think though that in 1998 with Ozzie in net the defense had a lot to do with the Cup win. This is not to say that Ozzie didn't play well. He did play well and had some really great games. But I feel that in 2002 Hasek really stood out. Almost everyone agreed that he was a candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy that year as MVP of the playoffs. I don't really remember that many people saying that about Ozzie in '98. That being said, it is six years later and there is no guarantee that Dom can play like that again. However, I felt that he did play very well in the playoffs last year, and that was only one year ago, not six. I just think objectively Dom should start the playoffs, although if my heart were ruling things, it would be Ozzie, no questions asked. Unfortunately, in professional sports, the coach must think with his head, not his heart.

Come on guys, let's keep this one going!! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time as I have at some of these!!

What everyone else said. He's not meant to score points, he does his job well, the back injury, good on the PK, been around for over 10 years, etc. Plus, he lives right by me and when I worked at the Farmer Jack (now Kroger, grrrr) during the summers I was in college, he would often come in and he came through my line a few times. Very nice guy. One of his items wouldn't scan one time, and so many other customers would have been annoyed and bitched and moaned about how long the price check was taking (b/c it did take a long time) but he just waited patiently, making small talk. I became an even bigger fan of his that day when he didn't act like all the other a**holes that came through my line and were in any way inconvenienced. Sorry for the rant, but please be nice to cashiers at the grocery store people. They do the best they can, and Maltby is nice to them!!!

Downie = Failure at life, party of one.

Just to play devil's advocate, we were missing Schneider and Kronwall in that series. Would it have made a difference? Who knows. I guess I'm just trying to say that the Wings gave them a pretty good run for their money with two top defensemen out. If everyone is healthy this year and we get a little bit tougher, I think we can take them in a seven game series.

No problem, it's all good. I know we didn't dominate the Ducks by any means. We do need more toughness, but not just for the Ducks. I understand what you are saying in your posts. I just think people were really excited about the win and didn't want to think about the other implications of the game. I'm not saying you were wrong to bring them up b/c a truly versed fan notices all aspects of the game, not just the positive ones. But sometimes people just don't want to think about that stuff. Call it homerism, favoritism, rose-colored glasses, whatever you want, but I think it explains the backlash your post received. I don't agree with it, b/c I think you were accurate in everything you said except for the point about the broken stick.

I never said we handed Anaheim their ass. Please read the post before you comment on it. I said we did well all things considered. I believe you said the same thing in one of your prevous posts. You seemed to miss the major point of my post which was that the focus shouldn't be all on Anaheim in my opinion. It should be on the playoffs as a whole. My comment about the stick breaking was not the main point of my post.

How do we know we are going to even play Anaheim in the playoffs? A first round match-up is highly unlikely barring a major collapse on one of the team's parts. Who knows, Anaheim might get upset in the first round (personally, I would like nothing better), and as we know all too well, the Wings could too. I don't think it would make sense for the Wings to structure their team around beating one team in the league that we may never even need to face to win the Cup. I would like to see the Wings get a little bit tougher for the playoffs b/c, in general, the playoffs see an increase in physical play. However, I don't think this has to be done strictly b/c of Anaheim. We need to, most likely, get through at least the first round before we would even see them in the playoffs. I think the focus should be on getting the team ready for the playoffs as a whole, not on getting them ready for one team they may not even play. I thought the Wings did well last night all things considered. The argument about the broken stick is pointless in my opinion, b/c, as others have pointed out, many times playoff games are decided by one goal scored in a very weird way. Did the Wings get a little bit lucky? Sure. But that's how hockey goes. There's no need to use that goal to take away from the win. I don't disagree with people who say we need more toughness, b/c I think we do too. I just don't think the focus should be all about Anaheim.

I sincerely hope this trade never happens. Sundin may be an elite player, but I have honestly never been that impressed with him. Perhaps it's because I don't watch Toronto enough, and if I did see them more, I may think differently. But my gut reaction when I saw the threat was "Hell no!" and I have to stick with that. Don't do it Kenny!!

Favorites: Zetterberg Datsyuk Holmstrom Ozzie Franzen Lilja (Yeah, he actually is one of my favs, this is not a mistake.) Least Favorite: Rafalski (Can't put my finger on it exactly, just haven't warmed up to him yet, but he does a decent job most nights.) Everyone else is in the middle, although I love all the Wings. Also, what is everyone's problem with Hasek? Sure he flops and gives us heart attacks with the puck, but I like him. I think he does way more good than harm.

Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that at times Ken Daniels can be incredibly annoying during the Wings broadcasts? Don't get me wrong, overall, I love Ken and Mickey together, and I think they are one of the best broadcasting pairs in the league. It just seems that there are moments when Ken brings up these ridiculous stats that mean nothing, or when the other team scores a goal or something else goes well for the other team, he will bring up some random stat that still makes the situation good for the Wings. For example, I remember one game recently (can't remember who it was against, maybe Vancouver?) when the Wings were leading and the other team tied it up right at the very end of the second period. Instead of just broadcasting the game, he had to give us some stat about that team being 0 and whatever when they are losing or tied going into the third. It was as though he was trying to reassure everyone that everything would be ok for the Wings, instead of just calling the play. This was right after Mickey had said something basically to the effect that it was a bad goal for the Wings to give up from the perspective that it was right at the end of the period, and as any hockey fan knows that is not something you want to do. But then there was Ken, right away, to spin it in the Wings' favor. That is just one example, but I have noticed it on quite a few occasions. Overall, I wish he would tone it down with all the stats. I'm sure they are of interest to some people, and sometimes they are interesting to me as well, but many times it is just overboard. All that being said, I like Ken and Mickey together, and don't want to see Ken replaced or anything. I just wish he would tone down the "everything will ok for the Wings, see here are the stats" stuff. We know the Wings are good, we don't need to be constantly reassured. Just my thoughts.

Good point. As a Wings fan, I think the Wings have a good chance to win the Cup every year, and I would probably pick them just because I am a fan and they have a very realistic shot at actually doing it. However, I could see why someone wouldn't necessarily pick them to win every year even when they are playing well because, let's face it, the Wings haven't exactly delivered a Cup with every great regular season.

I like Lilja overall. Yeah, he makes some bad plays at times, but I don't think he is as bad as some people here make him out to be. He plays more physically and with more toughness than most of the other Wings, and he seems to have picked up his play lately. I think he is just one of those players that some people will never give any credit to no matter what he does or how well he plays. The Wings could win the Cup and Lilja could get the Conn Smythe and there would still be people on here saying he sucks. I know that this is an extreme exaggeration as far as Lilja ever winning the Conn Smythe trophy, e.g., it will never happen. However, I don't think it's an exaggeration that if he did there would still be people saying he is terrible. There are some people who cannot get past their dislike of a player to give them any credit for what they do well, and Lilja does do some things well. He is not elite, but he is decent. He is not paid to be elite, he is paid to be decent. He brings a physical element, and as someone else said, he sticks up for his teammates. He also blocks shots all the time on the PK. I like Lilja but I am able to notice the things he does wrong, and I acknowlege them. I don't understand why people who dislike him, which by itself is fine, can't acknowledge the things he does well.

I agree completely with everything you said in this post. Sammy has improved lately and I'm glad a few others are noticing it. I think it is very classy of you to come back to your original post and update your thoughts as a player's level of play changes. It seems that so many people are so hell-bent on either loving a player or hating a player that they cannot see when that player is playng sub-par or is doing much better. Sammy is not my favorite, and sometimes I do think to myself, "What was he thinking," but credit should be given when it is due, and he does deserve credit for improving his play of late. Kudos to you for being objective and not just blindly continuing the "Sammy sucks" parade.

I like Murphy a lot as well. I noticed some others in this thread say they don't care for him, and to each his own. Personally, I like him and think he adds a little something extra to the broadcast. When the Wings are on the road, I think he does a fine job filling in for Mickey as the color commentator, although no one can replace Mickey! I love his one-liners, and, as you said, his old-school attitude. I love it when he criticizes the ridiculous penalties with his "this is hockey!" exclamations. It will be a sad day when he retires. Ken is alright too, but of the three, he is my least favorite. And just to clarify about that stats thing, others mentioned that all sportscasters do it, and I have seen this as well. My point was more that Ken throws them out there not just for interest, but to make things look better for the Wings. I wouldn't mind it as much if they were just stated indifferently, but, and this is just my opinion, I don't really think they are.

I would do that, but I'm afraid I would miss one of Mickey's great lines!

Those highlights brought back memories! I would love to see Sergei in a Wings jersey again. I know he's pushing forty and not the player he was in his prime, but man...I would love to see it. I like to think that the reason Sergei hasn't excelled elsewhere is because he was meant to be a Red Wing for his entire career! I know there are plenty of other reasons too, but that one makes me happy.

I'm so glad someone else finally noticed. I also think his skill on the point leaves something to be desired. He gets his shots blocked a ridiculously high amount of times for someone of his supposed ability. I don't think he is awful or anything, and he is a good replacement for Schneider, but I agree with you.

I love all of the guys mentioned, but I would have to say Franzen. As others have mentioned, he seems to the most "dime a dozen" guy out of the four. Flip, if everything stays on track, is going to be an amazing player. I truly believe that. I don't think Cleary and Hudler have the same skill level as Flip, but they chip in, make plays, and work hard. Cleary is doing great and I love his work ethic out there. This is not to say Franzen does not work hard or make plays, but I just don't he think he quite has the skill of Hudler or Cleary and definitely not Flip. That being said, I like Franzen and would like to see him in a Wings uniform for a while if possible.

I didn't mean to "label" Downey as undisciplined at all. If it came across that way it was not my inention. I have just noticed it a couple of times, that is all, and certainly he is not the only player on the Wings that I have ever seen do that. I like his physical style of play and his willingness to defend his teammates and send a message to the other team. I would have no problem with him playing and Kopecky sitting. I was merely speculating about a possible reason for what we are seeing with the lineup. I don't even necessarily think that what I'm saying is correct, I was just offering a possibility. I like Downey a lot and always enjoy seeing him out there.