Hack & Whack Rule!

Bertuzzi doesn't suck. He's having rough go of it this year, but most of the team is having the same problem.

A couple people have posted on my comment that Bertuzzi was never a superstar. Someone posted about his 50 goal seasons while in Vancouver. To Clarify: 01-02 with the Canucks, 36 goals, 49 assists. 02-03 with the Canucks, 46 goals, 51 assists. Awesome seasons for sure, but those were his best as far as production. He has never had a 50 goal season. My use of the term superstar may have been wrong as well. By that, I meant no disrespect to him, but he won the Most Exciting Player award with the Canucks four times, I believe and I think he made the All Star team twice. I may be wrong, I'm working off memory on that one. What I meant was that he wasn't a perennial shoe-in for the A-S team, he hasn't won the Selke or the Hart trophies or any of that other s***. The dude's got hustle when he's on his game, and his last two games shows he's working his ass off. Good for him. As for the rest of the posts, I'm glad they have, for the most part, been in a positive light. I'm glad that you guys are still out there willing to show support for the Wings, instead of running them down when they need the fans most.

Exactly what I've been saying for some time. I'm not big on stats and official numbers. Yes, they tell what's going on, but I'm more into the intangibles that can't be measured. The team spirit, cooperation and line chemistry can't be ignored. Watching Hudler track the puck into the corner, get wasted by some dude who happens to be six inches taller and then getting back up to chase the puck down again isn't something that can be tracked.

A trade at the deadline, some off season changes, unexpected retirements or unexpected extensions really makes this a pointless discussion at this time. I think you are better to wait until after the trade deadline at least.

Seriously, just stop. For the love of all creatures great and small, stop now.

Why, is he married to Datsyuk's wife as well?

Hockey fights do not equal hockey violence. This is why the writer is a total d-bag. Everybody knows, well most people I think, that we don't need to see any more Steve Moores, but that stuff has nothing to do with fighting.

Yes, getting rid of Datsyuk when he's having a bad streak is a good idea. Then again, maybe we should trade Lidstrom, Zetterberg, Cleary, Franzen and Rafalski for some draft picks. Say, second or third round. Are you freakin' insane? What a totally ridiculous waste of thought processes to even bring this up. The only people having bigger brain farts right now are the ones agreeing with you (yes, I saw you Carman!).

Outside of where Pittsburgh finishes, Jake Ryan has no clue about the wonderful sport of hockey.

He has one game that you think he does okay and you flip your stance on Homer? Dude, at least you had the courage to stand by your convictions in other threads. I've lost all respect for you after this.

Agreed. Any time a thread starts up about Homer, you know it was started by Jake Ryan. And it's going to be brainless.

I'm not sure how a player's position can be a determining factor in a complete player discussion. Either he's got what makes him a complete player, or he doesn't. You're justifying your manlove for Crosby, and it ain't working.

Gotcha. I went back to make sure I was seeing it right.

My point is that there is no way IN HELL Lidstrom signs a 4 year, 1 million per, contract. If that's all that was offered, 1 million per, that is, then I can't see him doing more that one or two years. 4 years would be way too long. I honestly don't see him signing for a mil a year no matter how long the contract, but that might just be me.

I'm not sure you understand a whole lot about this.

Patrick Roy for Head Coach!!!

When you have a d-man like Lidstrom, and line issues like the Wings have right now, you want that guy playing D. I think he's concentrating on his defensive play because the offense is causing so many turnovers. They are unable to keep the puck deep in the zone, unable to control the puck, losing battles and losing races. A guy like Lidstrom needs to be very aware of his role as a defenseman. As far as this goes: lower contracts won't fix the issues, healthy players will. And why is Raffi now a part of this?

He's an immature dork. I don't enjoy watching him play and the only time I have fun talking about him is when I get to call him immature names. Many other players are more fun to watch, but few get the same attention. Ovie and Malkin get a bit, and I'd rather watch them play, others only get attention when there's a clip of a dirty hit. The dude's got skills, I'll be the first Crosby hater to admit it, but way too young to have a C on his shirt, as proven by his absence in the lineup to shake hands after winning the cup. I get it, he was excited. A mature captain of that team would have been in that lineup at centre ice. His whining to the refs, hacking with his stick and complete lack of sportsmanship is what makes me believe that he sucks ass through a straw, and probably always will.

Whether I knew it was going to be about Crosby or not is not my point. The fact is it's another Crosby thread. I don't give a rat's ass if if he comes up in a thread just by chance, but I can't figure out why some feel the need to pat him on the back every chance they get. The media and the NHL already shove him down everybody's throat, I just don't see why it needs to happen on a Red Wings forum.

You're a meathead! You just go around blaming all the troubles of this team on Holmstrom and get pissy when people don't agree with you. You have this wonderful dream world where you get to decide what each player should be getting paid or you would send half them to Grand Rapids. You go on in your posts stomping Homer like he should be almost a point a game, and that just ain't gonna happen. He's leading the team in goals right now, so what's the problem? Should he be leading in assists and blocked shots too? Go back to Letsgopens.com.

Seriously? Another freakin' Crosby thread? Maybe he'll win it, maybe he won't. I couldn't care less about the putz. Now, if he were to fall off the face of the earth...that's a story I'd be interested in.

You tell those guys that that's what they should be making. Ask them if they want to renegotiate their contracts to free up some cap space, or even to make themselves feel better, and see what they have to say about it. Contracts are not signed retroactively. They sign them, then they play. That's the risk that any team takes, get over it. What a player is worth, and what they make, are rarely the same number.

Any thoughts on how we can get the rest of the team going? The injuries are wreaking havoc on this team. I know we still have some good players, but the losses affect lines and chemistry, not to mention bringing up the kids to play. The team is struggling, that's for sure. To bring up Homer, again, is singling out one player for no reason. Lots of guys aren't performing, and threads pop up all the time about them. There's one about Lids, one for Meech and Lebda, and if Dats doesn't start producing more points, he'll have one. This is a team. They win and lose as a team. Getting one guy going isn't going to fix anything, because if you fix him, the focus will move on to someone else. This thread is useless, pointless, gutless and the issue doesn't need to be revisited.

It was an absolutely brutal game to watch. I was so many red uniforms laying on the ice last night, that I thought they were having structured nap time. Guys were getting knocked around, beat to the puck, they were giving up battles and turning over too many pucks in both ends. Babs is right, they are better than this. I realize that the injuries shakes things up, but individual efforts should still be a part of the game.