Datsyerberger

I'm expecting Homer's buttcheeks to step up this series, but I'm also especially expecting some of the older vets to step up for this SCF. Drake is going to be really hungry for a cup before retiring, Chelios retiring doesn't ever seem a possibility but you know he's going to be hungry for another cup as well before finally hanging them up. I would say Draper, but he seems to always play with such a strong work ethic it'd be harder for him to step up any more (unless he's stepping up to the net to deflect more pucks into the net with his beard). I wouldn't be surprised to see Helm with another goal and some good plays, he's been working his ass off out there to secure a roster spot next year it looks like, and obviously to win this year. Other possibilities are Cleary (I thought he did well in the Dallas series, mostly with a run of bad luck as much as anything else limiting his scoring), and perhaps Lebda. I've been relatively impressed with his play lately.. it looks like he's finally using his speed regularly in the proper situations to gain an advantage.

That's what I've been thinking today, they're confident he's going to be good to go, and are playing this be vague with the media game to keep the Pens on their toes.

One name: O'Halloran.

It knows O'Halloran is one of the officials.

What's that defenseman's name? Gonorrhea? Lawnchair? Gotcharred?

Datsyukian lesbians? What? I hope you meant "Datsyukian deke" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Oh, I'm with ya there. I know I'm fighting a losing battle, I make that rather clear in some of my previous posts in this thread... goalscoring and point totaling will always be the standout statistic in almost any major sport. It's the easiest contribution for any casual fan to see. Judging and validating defense takes more knowledge. I could flip to some basketball and after watching a couple of games, tell you who's a hot s*** forward by how many goals they score, but I'd have a much, much harder time telling you the best defensive players. I'm quite glad they're overlooked as well, heh.

I think my list is the only one that included not only more than 1, but 3 defensemen (not to toot my own horn or anything >_>). I also made sure to give forwards with immense defensive talent credit where due--which is why Dats, Zets, and Iggy are all in my top 5.

KOVALCHUK SCORED TEH MOAR GOALZ!!11one

This thread is proof that LGW has a higher ratio of the word "class" (or derivations) to other words than any other piece of assembled writing in the world.

Treatable, to a degree, but the damned things never really go away if you get them. You'll be fine for a couple weeks, then the you'll get your ass kicked the next week. Could also be something as simple of sinus problems, which I'm no stranger to... getting knocked around all over the place tends to make sinus headaches feel s***tier, medication or no. I'm going to be optimistic and say it was just that, and that they were being cautious about a concussion. If it's something worse than that, I'm not sure what it'd be.

Here's the funny part: It's no real concern at all. The Wings have no real consistent problems at all, but people are ALWAYS going to try to single out weaknesses and find something to blame. The secondary scoring is the only thing anyone can really find to have any cause for concern over, and I think most of that is imagined more than anything else. Our biggest problem is the other team, especially the other team who has made it to the SCF... not ourselves. It's very hockey fan-like to blame losses on the faults you perceive on your own team instead of the skill of your victors. It's just people looking for something to blame when the doodoo hits the proverbial fan.

Oh, I'm certainly a Wings fan, but that doesn't mean I'm incapable of an unobjective analysis. I knew it was a granted and even said so in my posts that, once I reached my decisions, I knew they were going to make me look like a homer, even if they held up both statistically and realistically. I'm willing to live with that, I think everyone acknowledges how close and difficult of a decision it is. It is important to note that I based my decision off of how good they are RIGHT NOW and thus relied largely on their statistical performances this season. I'm not going to rate Malkin higher than Iginla just because he seems to have more potential when Iginla is clearly putting up all-around better numbers for the time being. That is why the Wings players ended up where they are.. because right now, those top 3 Wings have individually out performed everyone on the list this season (though Zetterberg/Ovechkin/Iginla could easily be argued as a tie for 3rd). I'll say it again: Hockey is probably the only sport where you can claim that 2 or 3 of the best players in the league are players on the most dominant team.. and be called a homer for it.

Hm.. tough matchups to call in this one. First, let's look at the "biggest" players. We all know who they are, I think. Osgood vs. Fleury: Both are giving some great netminding right now, similar stats (I daresay the Flyers padded Fleury's a little but regardless), both are looking very confident. I'm giving Ozzie an advantage for having "been there" before, but Fleury a slight momentum advantage for being up 8-0 at home in the playoffs, and for coming in off a shutout victory. This one looks really even. Lidstrom vs Gonchar: Gonchar is a damned good D-man.. but, er, this one's a bit lopsided. Advantage Wings. Datsyuk/Zetterberg vs Crosby/Malkin: Scoring is pretty much dead even, I think most Pens fans are going to argue Crosby/Malkin as having a slight advantage here and I wouldn't argue with them over that, but if you look at it statistically, it couldn't be much more even. However, the two Selke finalists come away with a clear advantage in the defensive department. Very likely the two best two-way forwards in the league, and seeing they're also within the top 6 in points for the league, they're quite arguably the two best forwards in the league. Dats and Z also get props for more experience, and more discipline. Additionally, Zets is quite good in the faceoff circle whereas Geno leaves something to be desired. Regardless, taking Crosby or Malkin lightly would be idiotic. All 4 of these players are extremely dangerous, but I'm giving an advantage to the Wings here. Not a huge one, but a noticeable one. However, 4 players per team hardly make a hockey game. Let's examine more. I'm going to assume Franzen is back. Forward matchups Primary scoring: Eh, this one is pretty much even. Calling it too much either way is likely to make someone look like a fool. Secondary scoring: Franzen has the POTENTIAL to even this up a bit, but given the Wings reliance on one man for this whereas the Pens have potent scoring throughout their 2nd line and into their 3rd, I'm giving this one to the Pens. Wings aren't lacking, but it's what the Pens specialize in. Defense/checking, top 2 forward lines: Wings have a clear advantage in the first line. This drops down a bit in the matchup of the 2nd pairs, but the Wings still hold a clear advantage here. Defense/checking, bottom 2 forward lines: This one swings about as clearly in the Wings favor as scoring in the bottom 2 lines swings towards the Pens. Defensive matchups This all around swings pretty soundly towards the wings, both in offensive skill and defensive skill. That's not to say the Pens fare poorly here, but the Wings have a killer blue line. I think this is where the Pens are going to find the most difficult difference to overcome. Both teams' D seems to have good cohesion. Special teams PP: With their assortment of great forwards and a coupla good offensive D-men, I think the Pens take a pretty good advantage here. Wings first PP line is arguably better than either of the Pens PP lines, but the Wings second PP line often leaves something to be desired. PK: I'm giving this one to the Wings, I'm going to be edgy and say the Pens got some stat padding here. Wings killed 27/30 vs the Stars, who had a beefy PP. Do not I'm not discounting the Pens PK, however. Overall special teams: I think Pens comes out with an advantage here, due to their fearsome PP. This may be the toughest matchup for the Wings.. they're really going to have to minimize their box time. Overall matchups Team Offense: This one is hard to pin down, largely due to Franzen's recent absence. All in all, I'd give a decent advantage to the Pens.. if they can keep pace with Detroit's puck possession. Team Defense: This one swings pretty favorably towards the Wings, and I don't think too many are going to argue that point. The Wings have both a stronger blue line and better defensive forwards, both in their top 6 and their 3rd/4th lines. Goaltending: Seemingly even. It's very hard to say what kind of effect this is going to have on the series. Both 'tenders have the ability to steal games/the series, and both also have the potential to crack under the pressure. This is without a doubt the most difficult dynamic in this matchup. Mental: The Wings get an obvious boost in experience, the Pens, meanwhile, from the stamina of youth. Both seem very driven, yet both can and have taken shifts off when they shouldn't. Let's hope they're both wise enough at this point not to do so. We'll see which team has the stronger killer instinct. Conclusion: Wings overall take an advantage, as the sum of their defensive advantage is greater than the sum of the Pen's /possible/ offensive advantage. However, this is also dependent on the Wings remembering that part of great D is getting the puck out of your own zone and creating momentum and scoring chances off of these plays, and using it to keep puck possession. It will be curious to see how the Pens try to handle that possession strategy. I'm not calling anything, as there's no real precedent for a matchup here to go by. I will say that I think the Wings have the greater potential and should be the favorites, but with that greater potential comes a greater potential to f*** up. Here's to a great SCF.

To be honest, Opie, I'll likely be pretty damned happy with whatever Babs throws out there. You won't find a post where I've complained about his coaching or decisions.. I think he's got me just a touched out-qualified I'm just hypothesizing, it's in my nature.. and something to do until the game. Guessing and making predictions about possible line matches and the like keeps me away from predicting the actual results of the series, which I don't like doing.

Yea, well, I'm a huge lover of Celtic music so you don't exactly have to argue that point hard with me, heh. Speaking of Welsh music, though it's not the anthem, how about Men of Harlech as a national symbol? There's a friggin' badass rallying song if there ever was one.

That, unfortunately, does make it look more biased than intended. However, if you will, take Lidstrom out of the equation. I consider that one sort of a no brainer given, and if you say "Lidstrom is the best player in the NHL" to most hockey fans, while some may not agree on any given day, none of them are probably going to look at you funny. Let's face it, if I hadn't put Lidstrom at #1 noone here would have taken my list seriously XD In that case, it comes down to me having made my top 2 choices both Red Wings. Is that feasible on the top-seeded team in the NHL, which has had them both for president's trophies and one of them with a cup (even if it was that 2002 team..)? My choices were made mostly with statistical comparison.. and the fact that the topic is "in the world today" .. not "in the world 5-10 years from now when Crosby has fully developed and is a deity." Given that Datsyuk is among the top in the league for points, and not only that but leads in +/-, is a Selke finalist, leads in takeaways by a ridiculous margin and has a huge takeaway:giveaway ratio, not to mention the absolute fits he can give to other players with the moves he puts on, he definitely makes my top pick. Maybe that's because I'm a Wings fan, but because I'm a Wings fan I recognize the value of defense, not just point totals. Let's do a little mathematical comparison. Malkin had 106 pts in the season and 16+ Datsyuk 97 points and 41+. That's a discrepancy of only 9 points, with 25 extra points against. It's an admirable payoff... 97 looks less impressive than a triple digit like 106, but someone really in the know knows that power of that large difference in +/-. I'm going to assume that Crosby's stats would be fairly similar to Malkin's had he had a full season, with less goals and more assists, maybe around 120 points again, but lower +/- just going by his current season stats. How about another important factor? Discipline. This is one neither Malkin and Crosby have quite learned yet, Malkin around 80 PIM this season and Crosby, going by his GP, probably woulda had around 70. Meanwhile, Pasha is at 20 (which is a ! given his ATOI) and Zets at 36 or something like that. These guys aren't enforcers, they're top line scorers and play makers. They don't need to be spending their time in the box, they need to be on the ice. And that is something that D and Z do better than either of those 2. Some people would argue part of the reason that Dats and Z have higher +/- than either of those two is because they're playing with a more defensively solid line and defensemen. I certainly wouldn't disagree. However, many of these people are the same people who would argue that the Pens team D is almost as good as Det's. That's silly.. pick one. I would also point out that the fact that both Dats and Z are there are part of what makes the defense so strong (and thus why it shows in their +/-). I would rank Zets just a bit behind Dats.. few less points, bit less +/-, a few more PIMs.. but the combination of both is still better than almost anyone in the league! 5th in +/-, 6th in points.. thats a combination outdone only by Dats. Keep in mind Zets also has 7 less GP than all the other point leaders. Let's supposed he managed a point a game (which would be under par for him), with 4 goals. Thats 7 points. That would put him at 99 points, which would put him at 3rd. That would also tie him at 4th in goals. Since we're rating him a little below par on his goals, we'll say he managed 4+ in those 7 games he missed. That suddenly puts him at 3rd there as well. (to be fair, #s 2 (Lids), 3, and 4 all are down a handful of games, too). That's all hypothetical, and regardless of that 6th in points and 5th in +/- is still damned impressive. In fact, it's impressive enough to be my overall 2nd pick. A close, VERY close 3rd is Ovechkin. Top goal scorer, top points, 7th in +/- and only 40 PIM.. and tack a great attitude on to that. Were I ranking this based 100% on individual stats, I would place Ovie above Z and below Dats. However, because Dats is (in my eyes) the clear winner of the list, and Zets a clear top 5 choice, and because they play together with such amazing chemistry, I decided it fitting that they share a tie at the top of my list. The chemistry they have is exceedingly rare. And a very close 4th pick for me is Iginla, coming in right behind Ovie. 3rd in points, 3rd in goals, 9th in +/- (which is sorta misleading, considering that 5 and 7 are ties). Enormously consistent player. Higher PIM than those above at 83, but given the sort of game he plays, that's more warranted than Malkin's 80. And so on. I think the rest of my list was pretty well explained but I figured I'd go into additional details on my higher tier choices. The fact is I pointed out how close the choices were. Lidstrom is the clear #1, and Dats seems to be the clear #2. Ovie, Iggy, and Z are all REALLY close and are sort of a crapshoot.. because of that I elevate him to a tie with Datsyuk in recognition of their shared accomplishments, and because it's so damned close anyhow. Unfortunately, it does come out looking biased and homerish.. but then again, being the top seed comes out looking a little biased too, eh? Only on a Red Wings forum would people call you out on trying to be a homer on saying that the top 2/3 players in the league happen to be on the clear top team of the season. (and cup contender) Why don't Dats and Z get as much recognition as say, AO and the Kid? Any number of reasons can be given for these, however, I think the biggest is point totals. They always look more impressive to the casual fan, goals are all nice and shiny. Limiting goals scored against is also important, but point stats ALWAYS stand out more in games with points. The most well known names in football are quarterbacks, the most well known names in basketball are the big goal scorers (Jordan, etc), the most well known names in baseball are the guys with all the home runs. In hockey, the most well known names are those with the highest goals and point totals... Gretzky.. hell, even down here the sports enthusiasts know who Howe is... Jagr, Lemieux. On the other hand, say "Bobby Orr" or "Nicklas Lidstrom" or "Scott Niedermayer" to the same people and you'll likely get a "gesundheit!" And god help you if you mention big goalies, Sawchuk or Brodeur won't get you anywhere. Goals and point totals are always what have marketed best to casual fans and always will be.. thats why so many more people would know of Crosby, and thus think him as the best instantly. Another part of that is another media thing. Crosby is north american. They're marketing to a north american market. Also throw the fact in that his skill is phenomenal for his age. It's like Gretzky all over again, which the league is quite happy with because Gretzky is about the only thing people who otherwise don't know a damned thing about hockey do know. Malkin gets a pardon for being European because he's Sid's sidekick buddy-buddy. If he were putting up his current stats on a different team than Sid, he'd be getting no more media than AO.. which, while still being quite a lot, isn't as much as Crosby gets.. even though they're all very arguably of the same or very close to the same caliber. But anyhow, this has become longer than I intended so I'll leave it all at that. Hell, I'm the guy that makes a case for Hasek possibly being the #1 goaltender of all time (I reeeeally wish he would have been on a better team for the majority of his career so we could have seen how that would have turned out), and Osgood being a possible top 10 by the end of his career.. so what the hell do I know? Everyone knows that Dom's past his prime (which instantly nulls any past achievements or skill), and furthermore, that Osgood is lazy and he sucks.

I chose our biggest weakness as secondary scoring, not necessarily because its a major problem, but because the other options certainly aren't weaknesses for us. Truth of the matter is we really don't have any glaring weaknesses... HOWEVER, it has been shown our secondary scoring definitely suffers when we lose an important player. Their biggest strength is undoubtedly going to be their PP.. if we give them plenty of opportunities they WILL capitalize. Im not worried about their centers, we can match up pound for pound vs those.

As an alternative to my proposed lines above, I think seeing Sammy back on the 2nd line if Franzen is back is also probable. Franzen can take advantage of Sammy's crappy, but plentiful, shots... to the point where it was actually starting to make Sammy look quite good in the series vs the Avs. If that's the case, I like: ZDH Franzen-Flip-Sammy Cleary/Maltby-Draper-Drake/Hudler Cleary/Maltby-Helm-Drake/Hudler With Maltby back in so D-Mac (god help him) is out, and Franzen back in so Cleary can go back to being a checker, all of the wingers on our last 2 lines are very interchangeable, depending on performance and need.. and they all seem to have great chemistry with eachother! With our ideal "bottom 6", you can either make a beastly grind line (Cleary-Draper-Drake or Maltby-Draper-Drake OR Cleary-Draper-Maltby) and a tertiary scoring line (Cleary-Helm-Hudler OR Maltby-Helm-Hudler OR Drake-Helm-Hudler)... or you can make a grind line and a second grind line, each with a touch of scoring potential (Cleary-Draper-Hudler and Maltby-Helm-Drake, OR Maltby-Draper-Hudler and Cleary-Helm-Drake, or hell, even Drake-Draper-Hudler and Cleary-Helm-Maltby). ..Damn, with all of our ideal players available, the flexibility of our 3rd and 4th lines is spectacular.

With any of the listed lines, though most especially the lines I proposed, I think the line matching may look something like this: D1 vs P1 Both are loaded with offense...however, P1 and the usual corresponding defensive unit doesn't have the physicality to remove Homer from the front of the net. Z and Dats have much cooler heads than Crosby. They should be able to shut that line down and possibly even take good advantage of its defensive weaknesses. D2 vs P4 A good checking line might be able to grind them down, and they might not be able to take a loaded line like P1 on, but Franzen/Flip/Hudler should be able to walk all over P4 D3 vs P2 Draper vs Malkin in the faceoff circle, that just about covers that one. Should be able to grind that line down well. D4 vs P3(P2/P4) Maltby/Cleary/Helm should be able to keep their 3rd line plenty busy, and in my opinion dominate their 4th line offensively just with their defensive prowess. They should also be able to hold their own against P2 if the other Wings lines need a break. Now, on the other hand, here's what I'd expect the Pens to try to go for: P1 vs D2(D4) P1 should be able to out power D2 offensively without too much trouble, and should be able to deal with the backchecking. Look for Crosby's line to take advantage of Stuart moving out of position to go for hits. They could also go after D4 while its out, particularly if P2 manages to trap D4 in their own zone, and get a chance to change their lines. P2 vs D4(D2) I think they're going to be looking to maximize the offensive potential of this line against our weakest defensive lines, starting with D4 and trying to get them boxed in. They could also try to catch P2 in odd-man rushes, which Malkin and his line can be quite dangerous at. Ultimately, I think P1 and P2 are going to be cycling back and forth between D2 and D4, putting their top goal scorers against our defensive weaknesses and looking to cycle, trapping us in our own zone while they change and eventually wearing us out and scoring, or catching us in odd-man rushes on these lines. P3 vs D1 I think they're going to try to grind D1 down. I think they'll be avoiding putting Crosby up against D and Z as much as possible. They know they need grit to work Homer away from the net and D and Z to the outside. P4 vs D3(D4) Grindfest, just trying to check our checkers and wear them down. More importantly, because I don't think P4 is defensively responsible enough to handle D1 or D2, even if they run their top 2 D with the line.

That looks pretty ideal to me. I also think Malts on the 4th line and Drake on the 3rd line is a good idea. Drake's definitely earned the spot with his grinding, hitting, and responsibility, and Maltby seemed to have good chemistry with Helm. He seemed like he was bailing that line out of the trouble it was getting into the previous two games, and then Helm was using his speed to pick up off of Maltby's plays and move it into Dallas's end (of the ice, that is). I think the toughest decision, however, is what to do when Franzen gets back. This comes down to a choice between Sammy, Hudler and Cleary. Ideally, I'd like to see Sammy kept on the 3rd line. He seemed to lock up well with Draper and Drake.. he has just enough of an offensive edge to help those two stay in the attacking zone that much longer, and the other two have the experience and defensive ability to make up for his fumbles. That then brings us to Hudler and Cleary. I'd like to see Hudler stay on the 2nd line. He and Flip seem to have some chemistry and had some good chances going last game.. though they didn't capitalize, I think with the presence and work ethic of Franzen back in the mix those two could make an excellent playmaking/goal scoring combo, with Franzen as a goal scoring and tough physical presnce. Obviously run them, nominally, with the 2nd defensive pairing, because Kronner and Stuart's physicality makes up for what they're lacking the most (outside of Franzen). This leaves Cleary for the 4th line. Cleary has actually been quite solid despite his apparent lack of scoring, he's had and generated plenty of chances, just hasn't had bounces going his way. He's also quite solid defensively. Partnered up with another solid and veteran defensive presence like Maltby makes for a good secondary shutdown line, and he might provide just enough of an offensive presence to help turn Helm into more of an offensive force as well. The biggest weakness I've seen with him has been board battles (he's been trying hard but doesn't quite have the experience in them), and getting to the net and not being driven away. Let's face it, those are 2 areas where Hudler is not usually of much help. Cleary, on the other hand, is pretty damned decent at it. Not only that, but Helm-Maltby-Cleary is a solid enough of a 4th line defensively that they can see more ice time, and thus take some pressure off the other lines.. and having Malts and Cleary on the 4th line keeps them fresher for PKs, which will be bloody damned important against the Pens. So then, my ideal lines. ZDH .. The Dynamic Duo and the Buttcheeks of Goaltender Doom. Franzen-Flip-Hudler Drake-Draper-Sammy Maltby-Helm-Cleary

IF that were to be done, and I think it highly unlikely, I'd do Lidstrom-Stuart and Raffy-Kronner instead. Why? Kronner is more responsible with his hits, and Rafalski has the offensive edge to be able to take advantage of them quickly. Stuart is less responsible with his hits overall, though is still quite solid and physical (usually), and this would pair up well with the non-physical Lidstrom (who can also keep things from turning sour when Stuart lands a big hit). But I'd rather keep them as they are.

So yea, its always the top goal scorers/highest points that make the top of the list, unless someone is so insanely, inarguably good (Lidstrom) that you'd look like a fool for not putting him in the top 3. That's always been a point of annoyance for me; defensive talent just doesn't look as pretty I guess. It's also hard to work goaltenders into this list, and as I feel I can't make a proper placement for them in this list I may leave them out. As it stands, and call me a homer, but here's my list: 1. Lidstrom (This should be the no-brainer of the list) This is where it starts to get rocky and very debatable. 2/3. Tie: Datsyuk/Zetterberg. This is where I may get called a homer, but let's face it: This is THE Dynamic Duo right now. Not only are both of them not that far behind the point leaders (they are, in fact, among the point leaders in the NHL), but they're also both Selke finalists and very dominant defensively. Both fare quite well in the faceoff circle, Datsyuk's lead in takeaways is disgusting. Let's not forget their dominating +/-. In my opinion, the scariest pair of players in the league. I'd put Datsyuk ahead of Zetterberg, just a little, but they can hardly be mentioned separate. And it gets even harder from here. 4: I'm giving it to Ovechkin. Monstrous goal-scoring talent, huge GPG/PGG as Anom pointed out. Also has a strong body and isn't afraid to throw it around. What's not to like there? 5. Iguan.. Iginla. Again, I'm agreeing with Anom on his analysis here... highly consistent power forward, stats to prove it. Has the defensive ability to go along with his high point totals. 6. Sidney Crosby. Premiere playmaker, and he's not even old enough to drink legally in the US yet. Still has his entire career ahead of him, short of turning into a total flop (which is horribly unlikely) or a terrible accident, we can expect great things out of him. Young captain for his team. 7. Zdeno Chara. Huge defenseman, and not only does he use his size well and play an excellent defensive game, but he's also a serious powerhouse in the defensive scoring department and an excellent team leader. Not quite at Lidstrom's level, but regardless one of the best defensemen in the NHL at the moment. 8. Evgeni Malkin. Another one of those point totalling phenomenoms. He definitely has some faults now but he's regardless a serious offensive force. Crosby is ahead of him on maturity now, but it's going to be very interesting to see how he turns out once he matures more. The list starts to get even shakier past this point. The decisions start to become more opinionated, to me, from here, and all the more debatable. I'll finish it up to 10 anyhow. 9. Joe Thornton. Assist leader. Also uses his size well, and is a very physical forward.. and quite good at it, only I think around 60 PIM despite his physicality, 21+ min. ATOI and 82 GP (season). Also very dominant in the faceoff circle, in the top 5. 10. Phaneuf. What the hell, had to work the other Norris finalist in here. The guy is a beast, hits massively, and is also a great offensive defenseman. And seeing is his career is so young, we're likely only going to see better things out of him. Though hopefully he can get his PIM down a bit, if he can get his PIM to around 100 mins with how he plays right now that'd be spectacular. So there's my list, for what it's worth. Yea, I can just see Crosby not being in the top 5 stirring a kettle of s***, but to me it's the honest truth right now. He's a spectacular player and he's going to develop into something huge, but he still has some maturity issues to work out, which would lead to him getting frustrated less easily, spending more time on the ice and less in the box. Hopefully his defensive game will only get better as well; someone with as much hockey sense as he has should, in my opinion, spend some of the effort on doubling their defensive game even if it means losing 10 points per season. Dats and Z show how well that works. I also feel that because he's north american and most of the rest of my top 10 are European, and because of his young age as well, he gets a bit more of the spotlight than he should as compared to the others, but eh.. a singular face is always going to be chosen. Malkin has much the same issues to work on as Crosby, but especially needs to work in the faceoff circle... he's pretty brutal there.

I'll be perfectly honest; I think we have a wretched anthem. An old gentleman's club (read: bar) tune that scales more than 2 octaves, is very difficult for your average Joe to sing, and is also a ***** to harmonize and make interesting arrangements on. Furthermore, very mismatched with the poetry that's used as its lyrics. Don't get me wrong, I respect what it stands for, but I think the song itself sucks. I'd skate around bored too after hearing it day in and day out. For good anthems, see the Russians.

So how 'bout those 33 years, eh?