Yellowknife Redwing

That is literally the ugliest hockey jersey I've ever seen. On the plus side, the shadow from Kovi's face shield makes him look like he's got a sweet Zorro moustache.

Agreed. I suppose we could look at it this way: It's better to be able to deem a defenseman of his caliber expendable than to scramble to insert one in the lineup. The Wings are a very fortunate organization to be able to toss out a prospect with his abilities. All the best to KQ, hopefully he finds a home with one of our rivals.

I guess I'm officially a part of a dying breed by thinking that Datsyuk is still a better player than Zetterberg and still the most complete player in the NHL today

The Crosby one is absolutely amazing, very powerful.

The sense of loyalty here absolutely sickens me. Kirk Maltby has won 4 Stanley Cups with this club and is one of the longest serving Red Wings currently on the roster. His defensive play is effective in tandem with Drapes and he pitches in the occasional point or two. I would say if anybody has "earned" a roster spot, it's Maltby and not Helm/Leino. Samuelsson has been good for averaging 40 points over the past 3 seasons and as was mentioned earlier, scored some very clutch goals in the playoffs and outscored the whole team in the finals. I've never been a huge Sammy fan, but there's no denying that he has been a consistent contributor to the club. Don't get me wrong, I think Helm is awesome (I even made a thread praising him last season) and I'm very excited to see what Leino can do, but if you're willing to begin casting out veterans because of 4 preseason games, you need to re-examine your loyalties. This all reminds me of people saying that Franzen deserves Holmstrom's spot on the top line.

Attaboy Danny 4-0

You're incorrect about that. They're stating how many feet the shot was taken from and that it missed the net. "Missed Shot: DET ERICSSON,J. 64' Over Net (16:52 3rd)"

Took the words right out of my mouth

Schneider to Tampa once they start offloading those forwards?

Draper isn't just about points. He's a clutch faceoff man (arguably best in the league), a teriffic penalty killer and he's been with the Wings for FOUR Stanley Cups making him a clear fan favorite. Draper at 2.5 is just fine by me with his level of contribution.

I think by this point we can all agree that Pavel has grown into one of the best 2-way players in the game, but this year is Pavel:Selke as Nick:Norris? Pav is the leading forward in the NHL for plus/minus, 7th overall in points, 3rd overall in assists, leads the league in takeaways by a gargantuan margine...what other "defensive forward" can compete with Datsyuk's overwhelming numbers and defensive presence? How big a factor will PK time be in the selection of the recipient this year?

Oops, I appear to have bumped this thread

Don't forget Cheli for the Masterton...we need to mop the floor with this ceremony

1. Will Lidstrom finish next season as a Norris Nominee? Yes, and he will win his 7th 2. He finished the season with 27 goals, despite spending much of the season in the bottom 6. With a regular top six role, can Franzen score 40 goals? No, Franzen will Finish with 32 goals and 55 points 3. Will the Wings have a 100 point man? a 50 goal man? If yes, who? No and no. Team highs will be Datsyuk with 91 pts and Zetterberg with 44 goals 4. Will a rookie defenseman find himself with a regular roster spot? If yes, who? Yes, Derek Meech 5. Will Howard back-up Ozzie with a winning record and a good statistical showing? Yes, sub-2.5gaa and .900+ sv% 6. Out of Filppula, Samuelsson, and Hudler, who tallies the most points? Most goals? Filppula most points with 50, Hudler most goals with 22 7. Which Darren makes the top 13 forwards - McCarty, Helm or Both? Helm, 4th line for all 82 games 8. Does Kopecky score either of 10 goals or 20 points? Neither 9. His playoff scoring rate would equate to 54 points on a regular season. Can Niklas Kronwall break 50 points next regular season? Kronwall will finish the regular season with 60 points 10. Predict the number of Red Wing wins for next season, and their number of wins against Chicago ( ). 53 wins, 6/8 against those punks from Chicago

There is absolutely no team currently playing in this league that could handle a Franzen/Sundin tandem defensively. I could see Franzen having a 40+ goal season with Sundin centering him.

The constant cheapshots after the whistle, cheapshots at the goalie, Crosby laying the lumber to Lidstrom like he's a ******* pinata...the Pens ought to be almost as ashamed of their composure and tact as their play in the first 2 games. Here's hoping the calls late in the game set a precedent for this kind of trash in Pittsburgh

I can respect that

I'm all for grit and feistiness, I'm talking about cowardly s*** from Roberts and Malone punching guys in the face while they aren't looking. I'd like to think that if Roberts wanted to make a statement, he'd drop the gloves with Lilja instead of punching the 3-peat Lady Byng winner in the face. The Pens acted like a bunch of cowards tonight. It's pretty bad when Crosby is far and away the toughest player on your team every night.

My hope for next season is that Ville Leino magically jumps right into Sammy's spot and things just work out. Leino/Mule/Cleary has a nice ring to it

I'm expecting a huge series from Jiri Hudler. He's had a great playoffs so far, but I've got this feeling about the finals...

I'm not usually one for these high-five threads, but I really don't think we've paid quite enough attention to just how well Helm has been filling his role these playoffs. Coming into the second round, it was pretty much a given that our top six talent was going to be able to handle the Avs without many issues, but it's become very obvious that our depth goes well beyond when you watch our 3rd and 4th lines steamroll the way they have been. Whenever Helm is on the ice he's got bullet speed, an active stick, he's digging in the corner and winning all the battles, making plays and just generally keeping the Avs pinned down in their own zone. He's been such a pleasant surprise and I'm really rooting for him to grab a goal before this series is out. Keep up the good work #43!

Coffey and Lids in 94/95?

How in the hell did O'Halloran make it in? Have they even been watching the games this year?

Let's go Red Wings, LETS GO!