TheOctopusKid

Does not look promising - "Babcock just announced Rafalski needs knee scope today" http://twitter.com/Real_ESPNLeBrun

To quote the illustrious Bruce Boudreau "Coach Bruce Boudreau has gone over the tapes again and again. He is confident it wasn't a flaw in the system, but a simple lack of finish that led to the Caps' 1-for-33 power-play effort that was a killer in the loss to the Canadiens." Or it was his arrogance or inept management of their lines, matchups, and strategy that prevented the Capitals from seperating their top offensive threats from the Canadiens best defensive players. Or it was the players overcommitment and defensive "floating" in hopes of an oddman rush to generate quick an easy goals that led to their downfall. Or it was their star players refusal to play with any level of urgency till the last 10 minutes as they realized that they couldn't score with the same aplomb as they did in the regular season. Yeah, this seems like a team that took away the right lessons from last year's upset and is ready to make their push to the Finals. Good luck getting past the first round. Again.

I caution against placing too much value into these rankings. It is too easy to lose yourself in what is little more than arbitrary forecasts over the potential career path of these players. There have been plenty of incredibly touted prospects who have failed to translate into the professional game for whatever reason(please see Alex Daigle, Pat Stefan, Pat Faloon). The ISS Rankings, Hockeys Future, McKeen's, etc all attempt to bring some type of clarity and science to this whole process but as with any prospect scouting - a lot is missed and it is far from perfect. And for fun - the 2005 ISS rankings 1. Sidney Crosby, Center - Rimouski (QMJHL) 2. Jack Johnson, Defenseman - USNTDP U-18 3. Gilbert Brule, Center - Vancouver (WHL) 4. Marek Zagrapan, Center - Chicoutimi (QMJHL) 5. Ryan O'Marra, Center - Erie (OHL) 6. Guillame Latendresse, Left Wing - Drummondville (QMJHL) 7. Nicklas Bergfors, Right Wing - Sodertalje (Sweden) 8. Jakub Kindl, Defenseman - Kitchener (OHL) 9. Benoit Pouliot, Left Wing - Sudbury (OHL) 10. Alex Bourret, Center - Lewiston (QMJHL) I would rather look at the organizational system in place and the their ability to produce contributing players than the prospects themselves. Does Detroit have faith in their scouting, drafting, development, and pace in which they acquire players? Do they feel comfortable with the personnel that they have in place and their potential going forward? Are they pleased with the development of key prospects as they begin to identify their needs that they will need to address (i.e Abdelkader as a physical, defensive minded, checker). It is apparent the Wings are looking for future snipers on the Wing, and puck moving defensemen given their current personnel. I trust the Wings and believe in their development program - how could I not when they've taken non-ISS loved players like Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Holmstrom, etc.

From all the offseason reports and speculation the lines should be as following: Datsyuk - Zetterberg - Holmstrom Franzen - Filppula - Bertuzzi Hudler - Modano - Cleary Miller - Helm - Abdelkader Lidstrom - Kronwall Stuart - Rafalski Ericsson - Salei Howard Osgood

As with any personnel forecast, there are three viable avenues in which to acquire a player: Prospect, Trade, and Acquisition. Assuming that any team with a legitimate star defenseman would be unwilling to trade that player unless under considerable financial strain or front office regime change, it is doubtful the Red Wings could pursue this avenue. Additionally, even if a player were to be available, the price required would be massive (refer to the cost of Pronger, Phaneuf, and Kessel). Given the precedence of the Red Wings, that leaves to far more possible scenarios: development of a prospect and/or the acquisition of a free agent. Prospect: As we pour through major junior, European Elite leagues and college level statistics, the lure of premature excitement is undeniable. When you read promising reports from our scouting staff and see the score sheets chalk full of blistering numbers, expectations and the promise of future championships seems all but guaranteed. I am as guilty of this as anyone. However, I try very hard to temper my emotions after so many disappointments of unfulfilled expectations. Certainly there are players who surprise and develop at an unexpected pace (Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Lidstrom, etc) and evolve as a premier player. However there is no definitive way to predict or anticipate greatness. At best, and I will preface this that Detroit does this as well as anyone, you cultivate particular characteristics (hockey sense, skating, passing) and hope that whatever deficiencies the prospect will be addressed or at the very least minimized through a structure and methodical development program. In the case of our defensemen, Brendan Smith, Jakub Kindl and Adam Almqyist seem to carry the burden of seamlessly replacing Lidstrom and Rafalski and herald a new decade of Red Wings dominance. However there are concerns regarding all three of these players and their potential “upside” is directly proportional to their ability to accept criticism, adhere and engage to their development, and catch a couple of lucky breaks. To be honest, to become a superstar player at any professional level – luck is always in the equation on some level: a chance opportunity, a fortunate relationship with a mentor/coach/teammate, a positive situation that utilizes and maximizes your strengths and potential. Hopefully one of these three prospects will develop into a fully fledged star. All three seems to possess the skill. And with the exception of Almqvist, the physical tools of a superb player. However, that does not mean that they will replace a generational talent like Lidstrom. Their projected growth is uncertain however, if two of the three were to develop into Top 4 defensemen – the Wings would have a very strong core for the foreseeable future. Given the Wings historical nature to bring the development of prospects at a very slow and controlled pace, Kindl will most likely not be a full time part of the Top 6 for two more seasons, and Smith will be at least a year in the AHL and if he proves ready, will move to the top 7 next season, and at best is a member of the Top 6 by his third professional year. This leaves a very open hole in their top defensive pairing. Which brings us to the final option for the Red Wings: Free Agency. In the summer of 2011, the Detroit Red Wings first option to fill their top defense spot will be to resign Lidstrom. The Wings have shown incredible loyalty to long serving members of their team and that will go double for the Captain and face of their organization. Lidstrom provides Detroit the best possible option due to his overall importance to the organization, familiarity with the team, leadership and talent. However, if he decides to retire, that leaves them with a very large gap to fill with roughly $6-8M to replace him. I am doubtful that the Red Wings would chase Shea Weber and Drew Doughty for a number of reasons. 1) Age – The Wings covet experience in their top defensive pairings. 2) Free Agent Status – Both Doughty and Weber are Restricted Free Agents which carry a different type of negotiation, and reward of compensatory draft picks. I am skeptical that the Kings would allow Doughty to sign an offer sheet without matching (except in the case of a ridiculous contract which the Wings would be unlikely to offer). Additionally, I doubt that Weber will stay with the Predators given their historical record of fiscal frugalness but would imagine he will receive and very large offer from another franchise. Again this seems unlikely from Detroit who seems to cap their offers $7M (the Lidstrom rule). Given the required skill set that the Wings would need to replace (potential PP1 or PP2 quarterback, offensive contributor, quick outlet pass for transition game, and top line shutdown player) – it seems that the most likely candidate would be Andrei Markov. Although not a marquee name like Lidstrom, Markov is a solid point producer from the blueline, efficient offensive player with a European sensibility in his style of play. He brings experience (which Ken Holland covets) and can effectively make all passes and shoot from the point. Additionally, he could bring a sound, all-round game to help alleviate the loss of Lidstrom. Still in his prime at 31, he could be obtained at less cost than Lidstrom current cap hit which would allow the Red Wings additional cap space to move prospects up into the roster and to negotiate future contracts. There would be an outside chance that the Wings could pursue Jack Johnson of the Kings. The Kings would be a tough financial position to match a strong $4M a year offer from the Red Wings given their needs to resign key personnel (a la Doughty) and stay effectively under the cap. This seems improbable. But the potential of a Jack Johnson/Brian Rafalski combination might be intriguing. A lot of this would depend upon the development of Johnson over the course of the 2010 season and proving his is capable of top defensive assignments. Possible Pairings Markov/Rafalski Kronwall/Stuart Kindl/Ericsson/Smith Following the 2011 season, Brian Rafalski’s contract of $6M will expire alongside Kronwall at $3M and Stuart at $3.75M. Again, I believe that the Wings first choice would be to resign all three for additional years. Kronwall becomes the highest priority of the three, and Rafalski would most likely receive a shortened contract length due to age. Stuart remains an interesting choice as he is again in the prime of his career (31) and would allow the Wings to maintain continuity for the next few seasons if he were to resign for similar numbers. I believe that this would be the Wings first choice. If Kindl, Smith or Ericsson has not yet emerged as a consensus Top 4 pairing, look for the Wings to once again reach out for a veteran free agent to carry the position while the front office continues to groom a potential replacement. I believe that the Wings priorities would be first and foremost to resign Stuart or effectively promote a proven prospect to the 2nd pairing – otherwise they will turn to free agency. A potential fit could be Barrett Jackman due to the directional change to youth in St Louis, overall skill set (physical shutdown defenseman) could replace Stuarts physical nature. Assuming that the Wings resign Rafalski to a two to three year contract around his current numbers, this would boast the following lines: Markov/Rafalski Kronwall/Jackman Smith/Kindl/Ericsson

Oh I don't think it's that stupid of an analogy - how many people have the skill set of a generational, future hall of fame, hockey player? If you're making 50,000 a year - you're a recent graduate with a BA in Business handling some type of logistic supply chain or low end analytics and can be replaced by the other 200,000 recent graduates that year with a similar skill set. Or your a mid-level manager who worked themselves up in a manufacturing job from the floor. Also, a very replacable skill set. The difference being your skills as a hockey player have a shelf life of about 20 years with the final eight being a slow degradation making you less valuable. The work life of a 50k mid-level business analyst? 50 years. And additionally - the longer you work, the more valuable you become - not the opposite. Lidstrom's source of income is non-existent other than interest. He's done working after hockey. So asking him to take a pay cut at this junction is cutting his earning potential drastically going forward. Like I said earlier - all it takes is a recession or poor business decision and he's no longer a multi-millionaire. Please don't make me cite the long list of backrupt ex star athletes who have suffered this exact fate.

I think NeverForgetMac has brought a lot of proper perspective to this duscussion. Allow me to expanded upon his original retorts. What is honestly fueling this argument? The fans that are upset regarding the terms of Lidstrom's contract prescribe primarily into 1 of 3 possible ideologies - or some combination thereof. 1) "He should have taken less for the betterment of the team" - The Hometown Discount Clause Okay, certainly there has been some precedence of this. However, lets shape this argument in a more appropriate context. Lets say you are a factory line worker for General Motors. You've worked and dedicated the prime years of your life to the betterment of the company at the sacrifice of your physical health and meaningful time with your family. You are the most senior member of your assembly team and have the added responsibility of leadership which is rightfully deserved and are considered one of the finest, if not the very best at what you do. You are the receipient of countless company commendations and your pension is securly set for retirement. At this point in your career, you have nothing left to prove and look forward to a life of leisure that is well deserved. Now, you have worked yourself to the point where you gross $70,000.00 a year. You plan to retire but the company and management at General Motors has asked you to return because they respect you and the quality of the work that you produce. And ask you to come back for another year at $60,0000 - or roughly a 14% pay cut. A person of your quality is not easily replaced, and you are rewarded for you years of dedicated, unfallable service by taking a reduced salary to do everything that you were asked to do for the last 40 years. Basic Labor Economics states - The Marginal Utility of Free Time Expontentially Increases the Less You Have Time you Have. That is, as each additional hour you work - your free time becomes more valuable because you have less of it - and thus more money is needed to incentivize you to sacrifice your free time. Hence, the concept of Overtime. If you only have 10 hours of free time a week - you protect those hours pretty fiercly and it would take an increase in rate to convince you to work. So, if you were this Assembly line worker - would you take a 14% pay cut when the value of your free time (your retirement) dictates that an increase in salary is needed for you to sacrifice an additional year? The obvious response is "Well, it's different for the every day worker because he's a Millionaire! He doesn't need the money!" Yes, it's true - he is not hurting financially. But he also doesn't have any additional skills besides hockey. He had no trade or schooling to speak of - so what we does now is the money that he receives for the rest of his life unless he takes some type of organizational position in hockey. Assuming he lives to the mid 80's - that means he must live for the next 45 years off the money that he has accumulated - that is a massively long retirement horizon. As your retirement horizon increases - so does uncertainty. Take for instance the crisis of 2007 - Sergei Federov lost over $43M to fraudlent investment and market fluctuations. Or the average American who had their savings and pensions crushed by overextending debt by the financials or the liquidity crunch that followed? What's Lidstrom going to do? Car commercials? Puck Signings? Lidstrom's decision to take a couple of million more may seem "greedy" to someone who doesn't have a net worth of $10M - but he is also doing his best to secure his and his family's financial future for the next four decades and every cent counts. Like NeverForgetMac says - It's easy to tell someone else to take less money when it's not you. Lidstrom's decision - and I don't believe it was monetarily motivated (even though he would be very justified in doing so) - is because he loves Detroit and respects the organization. Concurrently, the Detroit Red Wings value his contribution and all that he had done for them and rewarded him with his salary request - because of all that he has done for them and not insult him with petty contract negotiations. What is tragic, is that despite all this man has done for this organization and how much he has contributed to the joy for being a Red Wing fans - there are those who question his motivations and unfairly accuse him of being selfish for not "sacrficing" more. To be continued...

My hatred towards the Washington Capitals organization and its ensuing fan base has reached a level of hysterical, blinding rage and I have nowhere else to turn. I apologize for the length of this post and its general topic but I needed some type of outlet to vent my frustration and I thought who better than the LGW community? I need to be talked down before I have a brain aneurysm or I tackle the Caps fan and choke them with my throwback inspired hooded Red Wings sweatshirt. For those who have read my posts in the past, I have always made an effort to maintain some level of objectivity and positivity as forums have a tendency to skew towards the fantastical and infighting. I desperately tried to grant the benefit of the doubt, justified behavior, and continually made excuses however, at three years of a constant barrage of inanity, I must admit that I can no longer stand idly by and hold my tongue I, the Octopus Kid am a Caps Hater. I moved to Washington DC over three years ago and immediately starved by the absence of my Red Wings turned towards the Washington Capitals as a way to satiate my need for hockey. The Capitals had just come off an disappointing last place finish from the 2007 season but there was a glimmer of hope as they had a young and promising core of players: Alexander Semin, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, and of course Alex Ovechkin. Also, Sergei Federov it felt like seeing an old friend from high school and being pleasantly surprised that they had matured, grown and developed into a reasonably interesting person. I was immediately drawn to this team. They were young, exciting, and bursting potential with a wide eyed earnest of rookies with no direction, learning the difficult lessons from an unforgiving league. The Verizon was also an incredible experience. Small and intimate by modern arena standards, it sits in the middle of Chinatown and gives a very tall experience as the building is steep since the city was constrained by a city block in width. Ted Leonsis, the owner, was in attendance of every game and gave off a jovial and excited presence in his sport coats and red sweater vest; much like a Corporate Santa Claus. He placed an incredible emphasis on the fan experience as his team struggle to be competitive the previous season and tried to produce fan friendly environment: games, impressive introductions, over the top production, lights, sounds, marketing, and giveaways. The crowd was relatively sparse but as the Capitals continued to climb the standings, so did the attendance. More and more fans piled into the arena with families and friends, and were like the players new to the league, the rules, the traditions, the opposing players, and I found them to be earnest and sincere in their questions: Why is that a penalty?, Who is that goaltender?, What teams are in the Southeast division?. Pretty basic, but it seemed as if hockey fever was growing in Washington and I was excited to bear witness to it. I thought myself to be lucky but things turned ugly rather quickly. The Capitals made their first recent day playoff appearance that year and quickly fell into a large deficit to the much more experienced and aggressive Flyers that year. The team looked completely unprepared for the drastic increase in physical play and amped intensity. Suddenly the picture perfect shooting opportunities disappeared and everyone seems to be finishing their checks. Every inch of the ice was earned and the Capitals were punched in the mouth. By the time they figured it out, it was too late and they were sent home in a first round upset. I chuckled to myself reminded of the early playoff appearances of the Red Wings and how they were forced to adjust their style of play, to stop trading chances and learn to commit to two-way hockey. Offense becomes a luxury but effort and defense still reigned supreme. This was a great season and the Capitals learned a valuable lesson Offense wins game, but Defense wins championships. I was excited to see them take what they learned and really learn the finer subtleties. The Capitals response was to add goalie Jose Theodore to their roster which goaltender was a concern last season however it was still the overall teams refusal or denial to play defensive minded hockey. Ill be the first to admit that a young team which offensive talent takes time to learn the necessity of defensive hockey and at times it takes an experienced voice of a proven veteran or coach (Scotty Bowman to Steve Yzerman) to catalyze the change. I thought Boudreau was a players coach and would not instill the discipline to the squad that they required and was nothing more than a stopgap for them to find a more experienced hand to shape the young team. Instead they ownership awarded Boudreau full control of the team and an extension. The team responded in kind and stressed offense above all else. Still there were no signs of defensive commitment and they persisted to trade chances. Shaking my head, I knew the evitable result. Once the playoffs began, the Capitals found themselves on their back heels once again and failed to increase their focus and efforts to respond to the intensity of the playoffs. The Capitals were saved by the discovery of a Varlomov. And I know this will resonant with many of you, but is there anything more frightening than a first year goaltender who suddenly finds his confidence in the playoffs? There might be nothing more devastating to a team than a complete unknown who is playing better than anyone thought possible to wreck the confidence of their opponent the more you shot, the more he grows in confidence the more saves he makes the more the opponent tries to do more with the puck to beat him the more they miss the better he gets. I felt for the Flyers and the Pens are they struggled to find a way to break this unknown and remembered all of the great unknown goaltenders that the Wings encountered only to have that goaltender slump back to mediocrity the next year. At the end of the day, the Capitals sat a watched their opponents shot at their goaltender with no attempt to pressure the shooter, play defensive hockey, and learn from their past mistakes. They took all the wrong lessons. I thought that they would be the Detroit Red Wings of old. High flying offensive players learn the value of defense and hard work: only through sweat and dedication can you win a cup, not through flashing offense that dominated the early years of Yzermans career. Instead they went backwards. You could see the confidence in their offensive abilities began to digress into arrogance. They were above playing defense because they could score more goals than the other team. All of this would be fine let bygones be bygones as I found myself no longer cheering for what appeared to be a disinterested, defensively lazy, and arrogant team. These were the exact opposite of the Red Wings. The hardworking, gritty mindset that would become the trademark of past Cup Champions: Devils, Colorado, Detroit was lost on this young Capitals team and instead they took the easy, flashy path of the 2005 Ottawa Senators, the 2006 Buffalo Sabres, the late 90s Rangers offense over all other things. The Capitals were no longer a team I wished really to follow other than tangentially. I would go to their games to see other visiting squads and players that I liked to see or root against. And this is where my true hatred for the Capitals was discovered. More to follow:

HAHAHA! Sweet Jesus that was Amazing! And.......I'm spent.

Overlooking the Actual Role of Ownership of Bettman - Federal Charge of Conspiracy. If the NHL honestly manipulated the officiating of this game - it would most likely result in the following types of federal convictions: Gambling, Obstruction of Justice, Fraud - which in an extreme federal case could fall under the jurisdiction of RICO. Even in the most simple cause of Conspiracy (which is what Tim Donaghy was charge with two counts of), the referee in question would be imprisioned and sentenced to a minimum three years in a federal prision. That's if it's an isolated incident of just a referee. Do you honestly believe that an official would attempt to manipulate the outcome of a game, even if ordered by Bettman or Campbell to do so? Lets say that they do, under the direction of Bettman to Campbell to the Director of Officiating (Not sure who that is right now), now we have consent across multiple levels of the NHL League office - that is now a RICO charge. Which means any and all parties associated with the organization (the NHL) can be held liable. The team in question, The Phoenix Coyotes is actually owned by the League and subsequently owned by the other 29 teams of the league. If the league were to affect the outcome of the game, every single owner could be charge with conspiracy under RICO statute - that's hard Mafia-esque federal prision time. So, in complete honesty, do you think any single one of those individuals in question would risk any of that to "win" some playoff games? The obvious response would be "Well, I'm not talking about fraud only a couple of calls here and there and that wouldn't be detected." True, perhaps the scale of the manipulation wouldn't warrent any suspicion. Unless, there is a dedicated FBI division dedicated to that type of investigation and would be suspisious of a league owned conflict of interest and watch it closely. Oh wait! There is! "What if the refs were just trying to make Bettman happy and unconciously make a call in favor of the Coyotes?" Referees, like any position are subject to performance review. In fact quantifiably more than most as a review committee is assigned to gauge the accuracy of a call. The more calls missed or incorrect, the lower the score. A minimum score must be maintained to be a member of the league's officiating. This is how they are promoted, demoted, and selected. So, if a referee were to "miss" calls consistently or at big junctions - a review board specifically created by the owners to evaluate that performance would certainly catch it and release that official. This is not subject to change. It is written in the officials charter and the minimum level of accuracy they must maintain. If Bettman were to step in a ensure that referee were to keep his job - I imagine the owners board would have some serious concerns and require an explanation - specifically to Illitch a company and I imagine quite a few other owners who would be curious to why he violated the league mandated performance standards of officiating. So, in terms of natural human response to protect their job, the surest way for them to lose their job is to fail to meet league mandated minimum standard. Additionally, the FBI will once again be watching this situation closely as it affects the outcome of the game and this is an unusual situation that raises red flags - enough to where fans of the Detroit Red Wings think it suspicious. Additionally, the role of the NHL intervention in ownership was purely business related. The "stewardship" of the other 29 owners (Bettman does not own the team, the other owners do) - was to ward off unwanted bids on ownership and to select a financially beneficial transition to an approved owner. That's it. They wanted to find a buyer for next season. Given that motivation, now that they've already found new ownership - what possible benefit would Bettman or the NHL to continue to win? To recoup the financial loss? Even if they win the Cup, they wont do that. And why would they want to? They have a new owner to eat the sunk variable costs. To win a Stanley Cup? Really? How would that benefit the other 29 owners to see Phoenix win a Stanley Cup? I'm fairly confident that the other 15 playoff teams would take serious objection to that. Influence Calls - Potential Legal Repercussions, Loss of Jobs, Financial Loss to Other Owners, No Impact of Sale of Team So what is possible benefit would fixing or influencing the outcome of these games on the official, owner, league level?

http://www.hobeybaker.com/news/index.html?article_id=43 Hobey Baker Top Ten Finalist announced tonight - as expected, 2 Red Wing prospects make the final 10 for the NCAA Player of the Year - Congratulations Gustav Nyquist and Brendan Smith

For the third segment, I had originally intended to script a handful of interactions that I've had with Capitals Fans and some actually with the players but I believe that the majority of the DC Metro residents on this board have accurately portrayed what we endure on a nigh-daily basis. Instead I'll respond to smattering of the posts that have been appears throughout the coversation thus far - hooon: The cries to ignore them or to avoid it - yes, that would be the most logical option however not really a possibility. Living directly in the heart of the city, it makes it almost impossible to not encounter a car covered in stickers and blasts the quinessential *BEEP* BEEP *BEEEEEEP* which is promptly followed by a "Let's Go Caps!" from everyone in earshot. When you turn on the morning news to see constant updates on the Capitals practice or last night's highlights. To open a newspaper and see the Flaming Bird logo on the front page. When Washington says "Caps Fever", it is quite literal. This town (which is certainly a positive) is in the throes of mania. Any sports bar within two miles of this city is chalk full of Capitals jerseys, chanting fans, and the inevitable insanity of conversations like "Ovechkin is better than Gretzky" (Sigh), "Mike Green is the Best Defenseman in the League" (who doesn't play defense), "This team could score 5 goals a game if they wanted to" (then why are they losing), and my personal favorite, "How many goals the Capitals would win by against Team Canada if they played each other"(The answer was 2 if you're curious). All topics from last night when the played the Senators. I went to dinner with my girlfriend and overheard the first two topics and then preceeded to the bar to meet some friends to watch the end of the Red Wings game and heard the last two conversations and without trying to hear anything but the Red Wings game. The only viable option to avoid Capitals is to sequester yourself in your own home. I would imagine that any person in the Baltimore, Virginia, or DC areas would most likely be able to add to this. kook_10: I agree with this statement completely and fully. It is actually the same justification that I use to defend players like Crosby. They improve the overall visibility of the league and the sport and encourage participation and interest of new fans. Ovechkin is a galvanizing star and his freakish talents, flair for theatrics, and what appears to be an honest yearning to improve his play and become a champion is admirable. More so, my colleague whom I work with (and is a Capitals fan from the 80's) has a 6 year old son who plays hockey solely because he wants to be Mike Green. Not exactly the guy I would've chosen to emulate but Hey! The Capitals helped a kid find a great sport and hopefully lead to a long and rewarding relationship with the sport we all love. That can never be bad. But like you qualified, during this rapid expansion of interest it has a way of producing a lot of unfortunate and poorly intended "fans" - which appear to be the rule, not the exception. Washington DC is a unique place, socially and culturally. This is a direct result of the amalgamation of so many unique backgrounds from all over the country. People move in and move out as quickly as anywhere. As a direct result, the fan base is also incredibly transcient. Fans come and they go in the city proper. You will find more consistency in the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland but the city is where much of the fan base resides - particularly 22-40 year old, urban professionals who can afford the games and have reasonable access. Since the period in which the crowds are here, the grab on to a hot franchise and move with it. The better the team, the more random fans it will collect and so forth. Actually not much different than what I did when I adopted the Caps a few years ago. So any level of consistency becomes difficult because they is absoluetly no loyalty to these franchises as there is very little loyalty to Washington DC. The Capitals fans of 1998 are several iterations of fan groups till they turned around in 2006. And when the Caps become "bad", the fans will leave and it will start all over again. Expansion of DC Sports is difficult because your fan base is always changing. It doesn't have the retention of a Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Detroit till recently. The fan base becomes a product of desperate sports fans looking for some outlet for the next 2-3 years that they live here and take it to an unnecessary extreme. The possibility that this could grow into a long standing fan base? Doubtful Nightfall: Exactly the sentiment I shared two seasons ago. I am more than happy to give the benefit of the doubt. We were all new to this game at some point and it was attending a handful of games, watching them on TV, reading what we could that we began to familarize ourselves and really foster a true love for the sport. However, in all my years I don't remember ever going out of my way before I even knew the playoff format or the names on an opposing team and proclaim to all the world my never ending love for the Red Wings and how stupid and terrible every other franchise was. In fact, since you seem to be a magnanimous and reasonable fellow, that in 1995 you didn't randomly call out a Canadians fan as "f*gs" and rally a group around him chanting "Let's Go Caps" (poor kid). A Canadians fan? Really? I forgot who said it earlier, but the Verizon center (and by proxy the related sports bar...Green Turtle I'm looking you general direction) are no longer hospitable places to be. Be cognizant on who votes for the Norris Trophy before you tell me Lidstrom is a joke and "Green was robbed by the other GMs because they are jealous they don't have him," or that "Yzerman doesn't know anything about hockey otherwise he would've picked Green for Team Canada," because he's "twice the player Yzerman ever was". Like I said earlier - zeal, or passion not tempered by knowledge or respect leads down an ugly path. This has unfortunately gotten worse over time, not better. The fan base seems louder and more ignorant than they did only two seasons ago. The genuine air of excitment and eagerness to learn the game has been replaced with whining, entitlement, and arrogance and that is very unfortunate. Yes, I suspect that you're right when this all ebbs and the bandwagon is empty - new and knowledgable fans will remain and ready to support their team regardless. That sounds like a fan base and team that I would be happy to be a part of. However, it by no means makes it easier for those of us here now who want to enjoy hockey as the bandwagon appears to be fully stocked like a clown car on its way to a three week bender in Tijuana. Look, I know that my repsonses have been a tad extreme, but purposefully so to clarify an overarching point: my personal capitals experience in Washington DC has been dissappointing. I say "experience" because you are absolutely correct: the fan base and the team itself are exclusive to one another. It's not Mike Green's responsibility to ensure that no insults are spoken in his defense nor is it the fan who directs Green's approach to how he runs the powerplay. I chose to evaluate the fans from the organization. The organization moved towards a style of play that I am not particular interested in or actually convinced that it can result in a championship, and the fans are...well, the fans. The Capitals experience is not "malicious" or purposefully evil - it is an experience that I felt was special and exciting and has devolved to something ugly and unfortunate.

I find that the actually physical CBA agreement - despite all the legalese - is still by far the best way to understand the cap structure and it's corresponding rules. The incentive/extension/bonus do apply to the Chicago Blackhawks but not in the case of the Penguins. According to Hockeybuzz - it looks as if the actual salary of Pittsburgh exceeds the $56,800,000 active cap limit by $2,334,444. In this particular case, the website did not take into account the actual cap hit of Alexei Ponikarvosky, and Jordan Leopold. From the Collective Bargaining Agreement: In order for a Club to acquire a one-year SPC after the commencement of a season (i.e., that is expiring at the conclusion of the then-current League Year), the Club must have Payroll Room equal to or in excess of the remaining Player Salary and Bonuses to be earned by the Player under the SPC. In this case, the remaining value of the contract for the year for the two tradeline acquisitions is - $447,000 and $381,000 which would be their effective cap hit for the team - which equates to a total team salary of - $57,040,000. If you want to see the CBA document, below is the attached link: http://www.nhl.com/cba/2005-CBA.pdf I hope this helps

Sweet Beans! How is the world did this become a Crosby thread? You stop checking the forums for half a day and your thread goes straight to hell! It was surprising that what was originally intended as cathartic venting turned towards a photoshopped picture of Crosby. Before I continue I think I need to clarify a couple of points that seem to have driven some discontent: I am by no means an overty aggressive and angry person. Far from it. The hyberbole of "rage" is more of general dissappointment and I suppose anger to some extent over my personal Capitals experience. What was once an incredibly fun and entertaining event has devolved into nonsense gibberish and force fed exclamation of supposed greatness. I love hockey. I believe it to be the greatest sport to watch and beyond just being a life long fan of the Red Wings for over 25 years, I can honestly say I enjoying watching the game. Period. Where a lot of my resentment over this whole experience is the fact that those new to the game here in the Metro DC area are not there because of hockey, but there for the winning. I know that seems like a very subtle distinction but it is incredibly different. The more fans that I interact (I use it in the plural), the more arrogant and ignorant they appear to be. There is nothing wrong with Pride in your team - it's what drives us and distinguishes as fans (again in the plural). However zeal that is not tempered by knowledge leads down an ugly path. As for "stop going or watching the games" - yes, I suppose that is an option. The Capitals coverage here is pretty substantail but I could avoid it to some extent. But what's frustrating is the fact that I have to avoid at all. Even Colorado, The Chris Pronger St Louis Blues, and the old Chelios/Roenick Era of the Hawks - I had less issue with these teams than I do with the Washington DC experience. What was once something I was genuinely excited about has grown incredibly distasteful. Additionally, there are some games that I cannot avoid - when I said I cherry picked some of the games of teams I wanted to see - I mean, collectively my managing director has season tickets for us to use to soft sell clients - as the Capitals are a very hot commodity and afterwards, I or a colleague will often take them to dinner and the Capitals game. Hence why I have to stay generally buttoned up over the whole experience and was forced to vent here on the forum. Certainly I can ask someone else to do it - but if it's my client, it's my responsibility. The reason I know the intent of a lot of the "fans" in my section is that many of the season ticket holders are corporate wholesalers, government consultants, politicals, and lobbyists. This was not the case three years ago when the section was relatively empty and full of Petr Bonda and Adam Oates jerseys. I have been to many other arenas throughout the league and a handful of colleges. I was fortunate in my job required me to travel a great deal and lead me to games in: New York, New Jersey, Calgary, LA, Dallas, Florida (that was weird), Chicago, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, and of course Washington DC. Actually, I can say that I've seen as many away games for the Red Wings that I've seen at home. I was a partial season ticket holder for the Bruins when I lived in Boston for 6 months. And of course (Chicago poster) the crowds said a lot of things that could not be seen as favorable to the Wings. But almost in every case (Florida is still iffy, this was during the whole Rubber Rat fiasco), the fans were genuinely fans of their respective teams and had some grounding in the game, it's tradition, the rules, rosters, history, strategy, etc. So when a Chicago fan told me to "Eat s*** and Die" - I was far more comfortable with that: 1) Chicago and Detroit have a long standing rivalry and that level of familiarity breeds contempt. 2) After he told me how much he hated the Wings, he yelled and screamed at Shawn Thornton to stop forechecking like a girl (Not exactly in those words) 3) The Fan made no pretense that his team was anything but what it was - a rebuilding franchise with a smattering of old veterans and draft picks and carried no sense of entitlement - his insults were driven soley for his love of his team and his hatred of the Red Wings because you sure as hell couldn't accuse him of being there for all of his team's success (circa early 2000's - maybe 2002?). The collective fan bases of the more established teams, albeit hostile, are knowledgable and generally passionate about their team. In my opinion, and perhaps I wasn't explicit enough - The Capitals fan base is "hockey dumb", arrogant with no justification, and more passionate about the sense of winning than the overall Capitals team as a whole. This, combined with offensive focus, defensive lazy hockey has exacerbated the situation. Christ, it's like watching a team full of Jagr's flanked by Leino's. Sigh. I hope that clarified my intent whether you agree with it or not. To those that doubt what I am saying - I know that it resonantes wtih some of the prior posters who do live in the DC Metro area who have parrotted almost exactly what I've said so far. Take it from the Wings fans down here, it's not pretty and I know I'm not alone on this. I don't really see the point to continue this as I feel better. I apologize that I just took an emotional dump on the forums but I feared my head would pop off. I will say that I will be watching the Capitals closely come playoff time when they square off against Boston and hope Shawn Thornton stops forechecking like a girl (not exactly in those words).

Heading back to the Verizon center for the dozen or so games this season, the Capitals are now at the height of their power. No longer can you just walk up and grab some tickets because the Caps were now the most popular Washington DC event. If case you are unfamiliar with the Washington DC sports scene, much like LA, DC is a transient town full of displaced fans from other cities. You have a smattering of New York, Boston, Dallas, etc. fans from all over the country so it takes quite a bit of franchise success to really create a dedicated fan base. And with that being said, the Capitals are clearly the only viable sports team to follow. DC has been sports starved for years (keep up the good work Dan Snyder, the `Skins are bound to win the Super Bowl next year) and now they truly have a team to call their own. The obvious result of this is Caps Fever. Or – to coin their marketing campaign – Washington DC is “Rockin’ the Red”, or “Painting the Capital Red”, Or “Lighting up the Red”. Okay, you’re Red and that is your color. Or it’s the Red Wings color…Because it’s in their name….since their inception…when you were Blue….*sigh* You can hardly walk down the street without seeing at least some Capitals hats or shirt, jersey, or baby stroller. To be completely honest, it is thrilling to see the sport take such a rabid hold on this town – if I didn’t think it wasn’t just bandwagon fans – as I fail to remember any of this happening when the Caps weren’t in first place in the illustrious Southeast Division. I digress. So I cherry picked a dozen or so games to attend from teams I liked to watch or certain players I respected (or hated): Boston, New Jersey, New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Detroit, etc. And long gone were the crowds that were there when I first started going to the Verizon center when it was half full. Faded were the honest and friendly crowds that were either true hockey fans or newcomers who wanted to learn about the sport. Instead I found myself crammed to the tilt by face painted band wagon jumpers and political staffers playing on their BlackBerrys hoping to be seen. The demand of the tickets has resulted in to the alienation of the hockey fans to corporate and political sponsors and the “crazies”. The old fans that I used to spend time chatting with casually have quickly grown rabid and hostile. The fan base has put their own particular spins on new “traditions” – screaming “RED” during the national anthem, “Unleash The Fury”, the ever hilarious Burrito Toss, Cowbells but there seems to be a horrible level of ignorance and arrogance. After the first few isolated incidences, I thought that was anomalies, but as I attended more and more games I quickly learned that was the norm and no the exception. Generally the Caps fan base is loud, drunk, and raucous. Everything you would want in a hockey arena. They scream, yell, and above all else defend their team to the death; even when they are wrong. Any self respecting fan would do the same. But it carries a rich undertone of entitlement (based on what I have no idea) and the pang of whining. The last 6 games or so I’ve noticed the hysterical outcries over any call – whether good or bad, that somehow adversely affects the Caps. And even every non-call that somehow doesn’t benefit the Caps. Again, this is not all that unusual. But I began to closely follow the flow of the crowd; Caps player loses an edge with no contact from any opposing player, screams of rage for a call echo throughout the building – no reaction from the Caps bench or the player who lost the edge. A high stick from Caps Player draws blood – 4:00m double minor, as usual – the Caps fans go nuts and a chant of diving ensues. Diving. From a bloodied player. Regardless of the quality of the penalty, call or no call, the group is near hysterics. I can understand on some level, but it leaves me to believe one of two things: 1) The Fans have no idea what the rules actually are or 2) They don’t care. Neither or which are all that great of an option. All of this collective moaning and outrage has a way of wearing on you, especially when the players and the coaches don’t offer any objection. The most coming chant I’ve heard so far this season on an average of 3.33 times a game (yes, I counted and averaged) – “Ref, You Suck!” Ironically, the Washington Capitals are currently 21st in the league in PIM. Well below the average penalty minutes of the league. Additionally, the Capitals lead the league in Power Play Opportunities (145) at home. So, 3x times a game the crowd demands justice – yet the Capitals get more Power Play opportunities than any team in the NHL at home. Wait for the final installment as I cover such varied topics as: How Lucky the Red Wings Are, Whose Nick Lidstrom?, How the Capitals are going to Beat the Red Wings Before the Stanley Cup Final, and Konstantinov (Angry just typing that one)

One additional Note - This is the same GM who was so desperate to get younger and more financially stable, he traded away Dion Phaneuf and a young D prospect in Aulie for...Hagman, Stajan, and the expiring contracts of Ian White and Jamal Mayers. At this point, I wouldn't put anything past this man to get younger and cheaper - including trading away 31 year old, Jarome Iginla's $7M contract for a top flight prospect and a young cheap center. Hell, I bet this board could get the rights to Langkow if we promised to say nice things about Sutter, the Rights to Carman, and a Turkey Sandwich.

Yeah, the offer as it stands is a tad low - it would most likely include some of the additional Pu Pu plater of role players and salary heavy veterens, possibly a draft pick or two. The key point of it was - those would be the principal pieces of the trade, the Flames would be inticed by a top flight power forward prospect and the Penguins would land an elite scoring winger with about - 3 years left of top quality play.

I've had a long standing respect for Jarome Iginla for a long time. He is a fantastic Right Wing and is one of only 10 Right Wings who is capable of generating his own scoring opportunity without the benefit of a top flight center. When you speak of elite Right Wings - the conversation typically includes Jarome Iginla regardless of your personal feelings toward him. In addition to his consistent scoring and ability to generate his own opportunities (30+ goals since 2000-01 season), his physical size provides a gritty aspect to his game that many of the other forwards lack. Kane, Gaborik, Heatley are all phenomenal scoring with blistering shots and creative, intuitive sense of play, however all of them can be neutralized by a large body defenseman who physically press them outside towards the boards who provide enough traffic to minimize the impact of their speed and playmaking. What makes a player like Iginla so dangerous is that he does not disappear for long periods of time and utilizes him frame to create space. That, is an incredibly rare skill and one he shares with very few forwards, espeically Right Wings (Corey Perry, Rick Nash are the others who come to mind). He is a pure "power" forward - one of the last of a dying archtype. That alone would be enough for my respect but the very fact that he is considered the unquestionable emotional leader of his team, wears the "C" of a hard-nosed and proud team, and has a propensity to drop the gloves - well that would be a player that I would be extremely excited to have in a Winged Wheel. The parallels to Shanahan are unquestionable in my eyes. Besides their physical dimensions(6'1" to 6'3", 215lbs to 225lbs), their styles of their play are near identical. Both have very hard and heavy slapshot that has a deceptively quick release. They favor the one-time slap shot from cross ice passes. They are overtly physical, but play strong in traffic and the boards to push players off the puck and protect. Both are passionate - almost smoldering players that are often seen yelling at opponents or encouraging their teammates, and again - they both would drop them gloves. With all of that being said, I have serious reservations that Iginla would ever play for the Red Wings. When, not if, Calgary decides to move him, they will do so for a package of young prospects and draft picks as the only incentive in trading the face of their franchise would be to secure long term potential and a core to build around. The philosophical approach that Calgary chooses to build their team around is hard-nosed, physical play with an almost brutish play in the corners to intimidate, and rough crash-the-net offensive mindset. Look at the style of player that the Calgary system has produced in the last decade and remember this is the system that covets players like Craig Conroy, Robyn Reghr, David Moss, Daymond Langkow, etc. Not exactly what the Wings are known for. At best the Wings could offer them draft picks and a top flight prospect - even the best in our system Tomas Tatar the Flames would balk at as he is vastly undersized for the type of hockey they wish to play and breaks away from every characteristic that they typically covet. And one additional note why he would not be a Red Wing, his salary is far too rich for Ken Holland and group. The team has made it clear that they are committed to being a financially responsible organization and seem to continue to bring is a flux of new and budding prospects to complement their core of players (Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Filppula, Kronwall) and the addition of a $7M dollar winger who is set to decline over the next three years is not consistent with the trade trend of Holland and Co. I know this might be absurd, but if Iginla does get moved - I believe it will be to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Financially, it makes some sense as the Pens have a slew of free agents coming off their books including Gonchar's $5.5M, Bill Guerin's $2M, and Fedotenko's $1.8M. It is apparent that the Pens are shifting towards Goligoski as their future PP1, and Gonchar will only be brough back if he can be secured at a reasonable price. I am sure the Pens would be more than happy to bring Ponikovarsky back at a price somewhere where he is making now ($3M). That leaves them with a little bit of flexability. Leimeux has made interesting shift towards acquiring potential wings to play alongside the Crosby/Malkin pivot - this has been a rotating door of stop gap aging veterens and young prospects pressed into awkward service to find chemisty between his stars (DuPuis, Guerin, Satan, Fedotenko, Sykora, Kunitz, etc.). Finally, it looks as if they found a true scoring winger for Malkin (in Ponikovarsky), but have yet to find a legitimate Winger for Crosby. Enter - Jarome Iginla. Iginla brings an excellent set of complentary skills to Crosby. Crobsy is an elite playmaking center who elevates the play of his linemates and is a natural passing however he lacks the physical size to battle for pucks along the boards and the crease. Iginla still possess a blistering and accurate slapshot that is most effective off the one-timer and plays a rough and tumble style in traffic to produce second chance opportunities. Additionally, following the Olympics - it was extremely apparent that Crosby and Iginla have a natural chemistry with one another. So much so that Babcock put them with one another and Iginla was one of the best goalscoring threats on Team Canada and helped Crosby score the Gold Winning Goal. Iginla solves the Pens need to have a clear cut number 1 scoring threat, a character leader in the locker room, is Canadian (which I'm sure Mario would love), and already has a proven chemistry with the star center and captain of the team. Iginla gets his opportunity to play on a Cup contending team and with a center that extended the career of the corpse of Bill Guerin (a player in a similar mold) and would immediately bring a veteren presence to a young team as an alternate captain. The Flames would get the chance to rebuild without sending their best player to a Western conference rival and would most likely ask for someone like Tyler Kennedy (young, gritty, energy center who could contribute right away) and Eric Tangradi, the Penguins top prospect and budding power forward. (Additional Note - Tangradi was the asking price for Ray Whitney which is ultimately what stopped the deal with Carolina, as the Pens are very high on him. For Jarome Iginla I believe they would make an exception). All of this is by no means an endorsement of a rival securing a top flight scoring forward - but it makes sense on many different levels. From available assets, financial resources, play styles, philosphical plans for the teams involved and fair trade value for the players in question. Just my thoughts.

I'm actually a bit surprised that this thread is still going. I understand that there is quite a bit of pushback regarding his size and the precedence of "soft Euro", but I fail to see how that is even remotely an issue with Detroit Red Wings fans. This team has an incredibly long history of drafting or acquiring players who have been considered "soft Euros", and not only has it turned out to be savvy and prophetic to the point were we are the envy of almost every other front office - this philosophical approach to player development has directly led us to multiple Stanley Cups. There are Three points that critics have failed to realize: Available Opportunities to Acquire Talent, the Red Wings Style of Play, and the Detroit Philosophy of Player Development. 1) Available Opportunities to Acquire Talent The Red Wings have made the playoffs 18 consecutive seasons in a row and often (as in the 90's) have traded fringe prospects and future draft picks to make trade line acquisitions to provide any missing role that they believe will be necessary come playoff time. The quickest and easiest way to rebuild a franchise is to burn mid level talent for prospects and draft picks. The Red Wings haven't done this for nearly TWO decades. So they do not have the development process of an Atlanta or mid 2000's St Louis: massive collection of quality draft picks and a slew of prospects in return for their aging stars. This type of acquisition combined with two to three poor seasons and a high draft picks result in a strong core of under 25 players to build around (see Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, and the LA Kings). All of these franchises have peaked, fallen and come back due to a series of top 10 picks from poor seasons, and trading away key players for more prospects and picks. The Red Wings last Top 10 draft pick - #10 Martin Lapointe in 1991. The Wings would love to land someone with size and skill, unfortunately those players are incredibly rare. Total physical packages who combine size with sound skating, and NHL level skill are long gone before the Wings have an opportunity to draft them: Ryan Getlaf, Bobby Ryan, Andrew Ladd, Chris Stewart - all highly touted prospects with size - all gone well before Detroit had an opportunity to take them. North American scouting (America and Canada) are very well entrenched and far more difficult to secure a "steal" as most teams have incredible scouting networks and all 30 teams covet size, strength, and skill. That forces the Red Wings to turn to more creative solutions to fulfil their needs. The Red Wings typically turn to European markets were there is far less coverage than the North American markets, and there is the added benefit of organizational bias against European weakness, translation to the physical North American game, cultural barriers, etc. There is far more opportunity for them to secure a player who has high end potential in Europe than they do "sneaking" one by here in the States. 2) The Red Wing Style of Play The Red Wings play puck possession hockey. This requires a certain level of acumen, skill, and style. It is an incredibly difficult system to learn and successfully execute. Hence, there is only 1 true puck possession team out there. Certain elements may be adopted by teams on certain lines, but the Wings are the only team that adhere to it from the top to the bottom of their lineup. The Capitals utilize a fast transition past through the neutral zone and an overload for one timers, the Blackhawks allow for puck carry and speed into a high cycle. Those are the two most highly skilled teams in the league and neither have the patience or timing to try puck possession. Watching Federov play in that system two seasons ago was almost comical as he would pull back for a regroup and have no support as the rest of the Capitals were long gone into the offensive zone. I'm not saying that they are incapable, it just does not suit their particular talent or system and have choosen other routes of play. The other teams in the league implement so form of dump and chase, or crash the net. The Penguins and the Canucks are the closet in style to the Wings and again, neither take it to the level that Detroit does. So why is this important? Two reasons: 1) The Puck Possession style of play is a European style - they lack the physicality of North American players, they have larger rinks that allow them more space to play and they are trained from a young age to be patient and spacially aware. 2) It takes a particular skill set to play in the puck possession system. This is relevant as it goes back to the available draft picks for the Red Wings. Are there North American Player capable of playing in this system? Absolutely. Are their big physical players who can do this? Of course. Are they available at the end of the first round? Hell No. The chance of a legitimate 6'1", 220LBS, smooth skating, pass savvy, Power Forward at the 25th spot of the draft are absolutely next to zero. Actaully, any player with just that type of size after the first round often has a serious flaw that cause size crazy GM's (Brian Burke I'm looking towards you) to balk at them. Normally it's skating or incredibly poor hands, and even then those players are drafted in the 2nd or 3rd rounds. There are outcries that we don't have a Brendan Shanahan-type player - Shanahan was 2nd overall when he was drafted. So the Wings choose to draft players that reasonably demonstrate qualities that they determine to be essential, have some level of developmental upside, and most likely have some type of obvious flaw to their game that scared other teams away and Detroit believes it can address. 3)Detroit Philosophy of Player Development So the Wings have a poor opportunity to secure top flight talent and need to work with whatever they can get they can acquire. This is often either players who lack ideal size (Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hudler, Filppula), late blooming talent (Franzen), or technical inexperience (Jonathan Ericsson). Regardless of position, size, or speed - the Red Wings select players based upon Hockey Intelligence. Every player they select demonstrates this attribute as Detroit has determined those to be the essential characteristic for this system and can often trump other shortcomings. The Wings believe that with time, careful tutelage, and overexposure that the prospect has an opportunity to succeed. Physically small is fine as long as they can protect the puck and are not afraid of physical contact - developing the essential core strength to endure boards and traffic is a frequent weakness that is listed amongst the Wings prospects. The time they spend in the AHL allow them to physically grow and develop this - 22 to 25 is a large jump in terms of physical strength when under a tight training regiment. Learning the nuance of defensive style, two way hockey. Even when a forward is brought to the NHL level, regardless of talent - they start as a defensive forward. Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, and Filppula all began their careers as 4th line players. The Wings do not have the luxury of taking the "best" ISS prospects every year but if they can take a player with enough natural instincts with a mindful approach to the game, they believe given a long enough time horizon they can shape him into a servicable and defensively responsible player. And if they are lucky - that prospect will develop into a real offensive threat. They don't do this because they only want projects - they do it because it is a necessity with the resources they have available to them and the mental demands of their style of play. So Mats Zuccarello Aasen is available and a steal. This is exactly the type of prospect the Wings covet and he has already developed naturally in the SEL. Normally the Wings would take a player like him, give him 2-4 years at the Major Junior level and the AHL and hopefully he has the work ethic to learn how to compete against larger and more physical players. However his incredibly small stature was such a large issue that no one took a chance on him and he has played in the SEL and developed on his own and has had incredible success. He has "Fantastic technical skills and great passing ability. Can finish with ablomb. A magician who can do spectacular things with the puck. Great vision and can man the power play point. Defensively responsible and doesn't mind heavy traffic." This kid has accomplished what every AHL prospect is attempting to do at this very moment, learn how to play defensive hockey, handle the physical rigors of traffic and learn to embrace it, and try to distinguish some type of offensive game. He has done all of those things - in spades. And now he has asked to go to an organization who will patiently work with him to reach his potential. Seriously? Because he's small - there is opposition to signing him to an ELC and working with what is obviously a genuinely earnest, hardworking, and talented player? At the cost of zero draft pick or prospects? He is what the Red Wings have done with all their prospects but was able to do it without the Red Wings system. There is absolutely no reason why he should not be signed and added to the list of up and coming prospects in the Detroit stable.

This might be a death wish to whatever reputation I have on these boards - but I find myself coming to the defense of...Gary Bettman (I just threw up a little in my mouth). Before my Man-Card is revoked and I'm dragged into the streets and beaten with a bag full of used pucks - know that there is sound reasoning why I find myself the defense of Bettman. I believe a lot of the general hatred towards Gary Bettman is misdirected based upon confusion and ambiguity regarding what it is he's actually responsible for. As much as we like to romanticize what the NHL is, it is a business first and a competitive sports league second and as such, it is run entirely like a business. The NHL Commissioner is the de facto "CEO" of the league and as such, reports to the "Board of Directors" like any CEO would, in this particular case the Board of Directors is actually referred as the Board of Governors. The NHL Board of Governors is comprised of representatives from all the NHL franchises whether that is actually the owner (in the case of Peter Karmanos of the Carolina Hurricanes), or a senior official for that team (Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leafs). So this large collection of individuals are actually the driving force behind any and all decisions made by the NHL. This includes but is not exclusive to: Appointment of the NHL Commissioner, the CBA, Rules, Players, Marketing, Revenue Sharing, Expansion, and Transfer of Ownership. The Board of Governors acts very much as a Board of Directors for a large Fortune 500 company. The met periodically and discuss the general estate of their business, determine the strategic objectives of the company, and agree upon the rules and governance that the organization will adhere to. Gary Bettman is tasked with the execution of whatever it is the Board of Governors decide. Any systematic or structural change to the game is not a unilateral decision made by Bettman - it is an order from the Board of Governors for him to achieve. Cheif Executive Officer - he executes, he doesn't dictate strategy or direction. Bettman's responsibilities are neatly written within the NHL guidelines when the position was created back in 1993. I'll not bore with legalese, but basically he role is over Business Operations: Budget, Marketing Contracts, The Officials, etc., as as a conflict negotiator/resolvement. If there is a disagreement or contract breach between any number of parties: Clubs, Players, Officials, Business Partners, etc - he can mediate and judge based upon his discretion and further review by....The Board of Governors. Bettman is at best, the central public spokesman of the NHL ownership to ensure successful business operation consistent with their direction. The owners task him to execute particular strategy and allow the league to have a central figure in which the NHLPA, and the general public as a whole to interact with. Some "questionable" decisions that Gary Bettman that the fans typically hold him responsible for: 1) Expansion into Underdevloped Hockey Markets, particularly the South. The expansion was well underway before Gary Bettman was appointed the NHL commissioner. In the summer of 1991, the San Jose Sharks were added to the NHL. In the summer of 1992, the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning were added to the NHL. That is three added teams, two of which in questionable markets while Bettman was still with the NBA. In 1993, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks were added and the Minnesota North Stars were moved to Dallas. So within 1 year of Bettman's reign, another team was added to a warm weather market, and a northern team who was financially failing was moved to a southern market. In the course of the next decade seven franchises were added or moved. How can Bettman be held accountable for these decisions that 1) started before he was commissioner 2) he actually has no jurisdiction over? It's not as if Gary Bettman was like, "Well Hartford, you all are terrible so I've decided to take your team from you and move it to Raleigh." The decision to move or create new franchises lie solely with the Board of Governors and the Owners. These are hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions, that financial consequence and agreements before this type of action to occur. Municipal argreements with a town, market research and forcast to determine if their is a large enough consumer base, construction or destruction of arenas, a new owner who has the financial resources to make this happen, and the unanimous vote of the existing ownership. Bettman cannot not make all of this happen. So why would the NHL turn to underdeveloped markets where there is not hockey footprint? Money. It really makes no other decision other than the chance to generate more revenue. With the revenue sharing structure of the league, all franchises pool a percent of generated revenue from ticket sales, mechandise, and TV contracts (regional and national) and split the profit amongst them. Move a team to Dallas? How many potential new hockey fans is that? Roughy 7M people around the metro area. That's a lot of jersey sales, regional broadcasts, and more ticket office sales. The more franchsies, the larger the fan base, the larger the collective pool of revenue. 2) The NHL Lockout Expansion into non-traditional hockey markets didn't exactly turn out the way that the owners that it would. Despite Bettman providing the public face for the whole debacle, the owners chase for more revenue was met with angry defunct franchises (I hear you Quebec), and the new markets are floundering as the NHL failed to understand how to properly market and build a consumer base into markets that had no exposure to hockey before. So now half of the league's franchises are operating at a net loss and the revenue of the larger established markets (Toronto, Montreal, New York, Detroit) are being undercut and sapped by the smaller failing markets. So, what should we do about this? (I imagine the conversation went something like this): Florida Panthers Owner: "Wah! We're terrible and I'm losing money because no one wants to come to our games!" Detroit Red Wings Owner: "Well, maybe if you actually spent some money on a team and won a couple of game, you can afford better players and win even more games and build a fan base." Florida Panthers Owner: "But then I would lose even more money because Florida is a hard place to sell hockey. Poor us! You have an unfair advantage to outbid us." Detroit Red WIngs Owner: "Well maybe you should have thought about all of that before you randomly decided to build a hockey franchise in freakin' Florida. Then, maybe I wouldn't have to subsidize a mismanaged, cost inflated, hell hole of a franchise that does noting but suck cash from the collective revenue pool. There are so many of you right now that are underperforming that we need a deep run into the playoffs to break even this year." All Owners: "Yeah, this expansion thing wasn't a great idea. And the only obvious solution to make the league more competitive and to get us profitable again is to cap the roster salaries and the maximum amount a player can make." Bettman: "The NHLPA isn't going to like that." All Owners: "Tell them to go to hell. And don't come back here until there is a hard cap. We can't afford to operate at a lost. Cancel the season if you have to." 3) Marketing John Collins, VP of NHL Marketing/Corporate Sales. That is the man who is responsible for the current NHL marketing campaigns. At least to some degree. Granted, Bettman approved his hiring but he is the individual responsible for the National marketing campaigns that are conducted. So, the Crosby centric advertisements are a collaboration between him and the corporate sponsors. For NHL to secure strategic commerical partners (Visa, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, etc.), certain marketing agreements must be met between them. As the NHL has a limited consumer base, they are unfortunately at the collective decision makers at these business. So, Visa wants to agree with the NHL to a 5 year, $50M dollar contract to be the sponser for the NHL. Excellent. Part of the agreement for the NHL to receive this money is that they must allow certain levels of access, tickets, board space, commercial time, and access to players. Now, the head of Visa marketing speaks with John Collins and wants to run an NHL marketing campaign to attract new customers. NHL is contract obligated to provide player access and time to run the Visa commercial during games. Visa gets it's pick of NHL footage. Who do you think they ask for? The player with the largest name recognition (according to the marketing polls, it's Crosby), who can speak english well (Goodbye European players), is personable (Sorry Pronger), and is a winner (Getzlaf, Kane, Toews, get back to us when you're on the cover of Sports Illustrated when you win something). So the National marketing campaigns are a collaboration between the strategic partners and John Collins. I fail to see how Bettman is responsible for this. His involvement is the contract negotiations and fulfillment. Unfortunately the NHL does not have the bargaining power of the NFL and cannot walk away from large corporate sponsors when something doesn't suit them. So, the end result is we end up with Crosby centric commercials. Young, Champion Superstars sell a lot more than Foreign Born, Aging Legends (Sorry Lidstrom). Additionally the other smaller issues that Bettman is held accountable for: Rule Changes: Competition Committee (Owners, and NHLPA) Restructure of Conferences: Board of Governors Fines, Assessments, Suspensions: Disciplinary Committee (Colin Campbell) Glowing Puck: Production and Marketing And bear it mind, all of these changes and decisions ultimately rest upon the approval of the Owners - it is Bettman's role to implement the changes ask of him. Finally, the last note that someone mentioned "Can the Board of Governors remove Bettman?" Of course, the absolutely can remove him. However, why would they want to? Every change and decision made is their choice and Bettman is valued in two categories: 1) Did the NHL institute the change? 2) Is he the focal point for all protests against the NHL? Yes...and Yes. Bettman is doing his job perfectly in the fact he protects and deflects all criticism and anger of the general public away from the owners. He is the face of the League but if far from the brains that makes the decision. The very fact that he is universally blamed for all of these changes makes his an effective commissioner. He is there to be unpopular. Do you think that the owners are unaware that Bettman is hated by the fans and players? Of course they are. If they were so concerned with that level of unrest, wouldn't they have released him a long time ago? Yes, but that is what he is there for. To be the "bad guy" while allowing the owners anonymity to make unpopular decisions without public backlash. If you truly want someone to blame, turn your attention to profit seeking ownership who ignore their fan bases, continually put forth a subpar product on the ice, and cut cost to maximize their revenue with disregard to the health of the league as a whole. These at the individuals who drive franchises into odd locations, refuse to spend to build a competitive team, demands more parity in terms of business revenue and ignore the tradition of the game to increase ticket sales.

Ah, the only full-blooded Asian player in the NHL currently on an active roster is: Richard Park, New York Islanders (Korean) There are handful of Half Asian players: Paul Kariya, St. Louis Blues Manny Malhotra, San Jose Sharks Raymond Sawada, Dallas Stars Devin Setoguchi, San Jose Sharks Brandon Yip, Colorado Avalanche As for additional information regarding Brandon Wong - Born Victoria, BC (He's actually Canadian) Played 4 years at Quinnipiac University GP: 127, Goals: 68, Assists: 75, Points: 145 Career Highlights include: 2010 Hobey Baker Finalist Lead all Division 1 players in PP Goals (14) Led Quinnipiac University in Points (41) Third Highest Scorer in Active Division 1 Players (I'm assuming career) http://www.mlive.com/griffins/index.ssf/2010/03/griffins_sign_brandon_wong_to.html http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=76583 Hope this helps

The Swedish League as "defensive" was a summarization by I believe Hakan Andersson who stated something similar. I'm trying to find the article but the general point he made was points earned in that league are extremely difficult to come by and that it is far more "defnsively" focused to play sound positional hockey and to not risk defense at the expense of offense. This was all in response to a question asked about the high scoring numbers that are seen from the Canadian Major Junior Leagues and how the points translate between the North American leagues and the European Leagues. Basically, the Swedes stress defense and puck possession, bigger rinks, etc. that lead to fewer points and this is not an accurate estimate of their true offense output. This is further validated by the point totals of Swedish Elite League players vs. their North American counterparts. Mats Zuccarello Aasen was the League Leader in Points for the SEL at 64 points. Compared to Canadian Junior Major Leagues (I know one is professional and one is amateur but these are the league they compare when making draft decisions) - top flight leaders in the OHL: 106pts, QJMHL: 96pts, etc.

A quick couple of points after a quick jaunt around the "Internets" 1)He plays for Modo in the Swedish Elite League - where his two year stat totals were: 90gp, 35g, 69asst, 104p. The SEL is often considered to be the most conservative and defensive oriented league in the world. The gaudy offensive numbers of the Q, WHL, KHL, etc often are not reflective of a players abilities in the SEL. To provide some level of perspective - Zetterberg's stat line in 2005 was 50gp, 19g, 31assts, 50pts. The following season in 2006, he had 85 points for the Red Wings. I am by no way implying that he will be Henrik Zetterberg, however his numbers are misleading. HIs SEL pedigree follows a long line of "point per game" future NHL stars like Forsberg, Backstrom, Sedin, Sedin, Alfredsson, etc. and actually his collective stats thus far are as good if not better than many of them. He was awarded "Most Point in the League (SEL)" in 2009, and was additionally awarded "Best Norweigan Player" in 2008. 2) According to Elite Prospects - Strengths - Fantastic technical skills and great passing ability. Can finish with ablomb. A magician who can do spectacular things with the puck. Great vision and can man the power play point. Defensively responsible and doesn't mind heavy traffic. Weaknesses - Size and strength. Not a great physical player http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=10881〈=en Zuccarello Aasen has often been overlooked due to his short stature and size. In fact, there are already those on this boards who do not want him solely based upon his physical size. However, he has no concern over physical play and will play through traffic. The Red Wings have had a propensity to draft and acquire undersized players who lacked "ideal" NHL size for their position - many of which who have developed into key contributors (Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Hudler, etc.). Additionally, it's not as if there hasn't been a precedent of a 5'7", underweight, playmaking Right Winger who plays with offensive flair who aggressively plows into heavy traffic (cough Theo Fluery cough). Christ, there is a laundry list of undersized players who have thrived in the NHL (regardless of players like Pronger) - St. Louis, Gionta, Kapenan, etc. 3) Steve Yzerman has raved about this kid and I for one, would not question Steve Yzerman about...well, anything really. 4) The Red Wings appear to have the inside track on securing him. The Red Wings have shown the most interest in his play (alongside Chicago, Dallas, and the Thrashers). The Thrashers are irrelevant, Dallas would be a poor fit for him, and Chicago will not be able to afford offering anything above a basic entry level contract as they are well over the cap for next year. http://www.google.com/translate?sl=sv&tl=en&u=http://www.hockeysverige.se/news_show_detroit-ar-hetast-for-mats.html?id=9550181 5) His nickname is the "Wizard Hobbit" - Sweet Tap-Dancing Christ - that alone is worth a 2 year deal. After all of this - why wouldn't the Red Wings offer him a contract? It allows them to secure another prospect without the cost of a draft pick or at the expense of any current players. It is all upside. Best case scenario - we secure a potential top six forward. Worst case - we have a tradable asset at next year's deadline.

I purpose the following argument in response to your opinion regarding Ken Holland - As the General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings, Ken Holland is ultimately responsible for the acquisition and dismissal of hockey related personnel (Players, Coaches, Scouts, Trainers, etc), negotiation of contracts (rights, salary, financial position of the team against the cap), and ultimately, the success of the team (how the collected pool of players perform on the ice). I think that is all generally agreed upon as the key responsibilities of Ken Holland. Now, obviously he cannot be in all those places as once so he has various staff to direct, operate, and execute his strategic vision. This is an organization, and as in any organization (bank, car dealership, a military structure, the President of the United States) there is a associated hierarchy. Ken Holland would be the supposed "General" or "CEO" or whatever leadership position there is. As with all positions like this, he develops an strategic plan and then tasks his directors to create operational plans to encourage the achievement of these objectives. Now, a responsible leader will provide an achievable plan and rely upon the staff that he has under to lend their particular skill and their opinions to make decisions. It becomes and culmination of various skills, intelligence, and experiences that drive a decision. Thus it is imperative that a General Manager hire and place the correct people who will be fueling his decisions. So, the coach (and his subsequent staff), the scouts, and all the personnel that reside with the Grand Rapids Griffins are his decision to make. So - to say Holland is a failure and that he is saved by Andersson isn't entirely correct as Holland was the directly responsible for hiring Andersson to begin with. If Holland had chosen someone else who was not as good, he wouldn't have the talents that he does. So, it would only seem fair that Holland should be rewarded for hiring Andersson, as for what Hakan is doing is exactly why Holland picked him. Furthermore, from Hakan Andersson, Director of European Scouting: "Working under Kenny is very good for a number of reasons. He is a former scout (probably the best one I have met, by the way), so he understands where we are coming from with regards to keeping draft picks, projecting a player's potential, etc. He also believes in his people and gives us all the tools to succeed. He is easy to talk to about anything: new ideas, different approaches to things, etc. He also seems to be the best GM in the league when it comes to running an NHL team, which makes it very nice just to be on board for this ride. These days I work a lot more with Jim Nill and Joe McDonnell, both of them are also great to work with, this also shows how this organization is built with people who think the same and are all quality people." As for the role of the Scout versus the General Manager - from an NHL Network coverage special on Draft decisions, basically the leadership of an organization (primarily GM and Coach) determine the needs of the team going forward and what types of players they need to target. After that feedback from the Coach, the Scouting teams will submit their reports regarding players that they believe have the potential to fulfill the needs of the team. Collectively, the GM directs a round table on the overall potential, the necessary steps to develop that player to reach that potential, and what other organizations might be pursing that individual. After all of that, the front office slots that player into an approximate round in which to select that player based upon those factors to maximize fair market value. If Hakan Andersson had been so convinced that Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg were to be premier stars in this league, Andersson would have given a report to Holland to select them immediately and not wait as long as he did to do so. So, to say that Andersson knew they were to be stars and made a savvy choice and saved Holland from a bad decision, he would have suggested that he pick them earlier as not to miss out on such great prospects. In fact, the Red Wings select players who are purposefully underdeveloped on the outside chance that given enough time and tutelage, that they will develop into a servicable player. In the case of Datsyuk and Zetterberg - the possessed key attributes that the Red Wings covet (intelligent play, defensive commitment, strong skating, and passing acumen) and were overlooked by other organizations because they were "undersized". Neither were even considered as potential NHL players when they were selected and in the case of Datsyuk had been passed over in two prior drafts. Hakan didn't save Holland, the Red Wings stuck to an organizational philosophy and ended up with two excellent players in return. The person responsible for the "Red Wings" system is again - Ken Holland. To take time on younger, unproven players with core skills that they desire, and take time to develop them under careful eye is exactly what Ken Holland has championed - he is the architect of the current Red Wings system, without it - I doubt that Pavel and Henrik would be the players that they are. The drafting and development of prospects is just as much a credit to Holland as it is his scouts, minor league positional coaches, and blind luck. All can take some of the responsibility of the players that the Wings have produced and can take similar blame for the players that failed to develop. The Jason Williams signing - yes, in hindsight he has not produced in the manner that they wanted but from the offseason it made some financial sense. After the lost of free agents in the Summer of 2008, the Red Wings needed to add an additional winger who would be primarily a third or fourth line player. Holland, (and Babcock as he has influence on who is signed), needed to add a cheap winger who had upside potential to play. Williams was a RW/C who had demonstrated some offensive skills (a career 0.54 points a game in the NHL = 82gp, 45p), and the added benefit of a familiarity with the Red Wings system. In addition, his highest scoring year (58p) came while wearing the Winged Wheel. So if you wanted to add another winger, why not select a player who is in his "prime" career year at a relatively low salary who is familiar with your system and has the potential to produce 50+ points in a full season as a third line player? Is this not the exact same logic that the Red Wings used to sign Todd Bertuzzi? Granted, I'm the first to agree that he has not produced like originally hoped for and has not filled the empty gap that Samuelsson has left. However injuries have slowed him down in a relatively weak offensive year as a whole for the Red Wings. Williams is a stop gap and his salary for his historical production is not outrageous. In fact, there are plenty of players in a similar salary range (1,200,000 - 1,800,000) who are much worse for the dollar per career point. As for "Holland wasted the $1.5M that he could have used to trade for a $5.0M player at the trade deadline."....Wait, what? Under the current CBA - when a player is traded, his cap hit does not change. So - a $5M dollar hit is still a $5M dollar hit regardless on where we are in the season. The Detroit Organization is only responsible for the remaining % of the contract that is due (in this season, it would be roughly 24%) - so the Red Wings would pay the $5M dollar player exactly $1.2M for the rest of the season, but he would still count as $5M total against the cap. So having Williams is not costing the Wings the opportunity to land a big name free agent - if we chose not to sign him, and kept the $1.5M in space, we could afford exactly that - a $1.5M dollar player. In this particular season - excluding rookie contracts and players that teams would refuse to trade - could be translated into: Jere Letihen and his 24p. Ken Holland has instilled a core philosophy alongside many dedicated and quality staff members. He has seemlessly transitioned from uncapped to hard cap and succeeded in both environments. The Red Wings are not saddled with horribly unbalanced and lengthy contracts (i.e. $8M/year for Chris Drury) and have retained key players at below market prices. Really the one aspect of all of this is his ability to secure star talent at affordable rates (Zetterburg $7M, Datsyuk $6.5M, Kronwall $4M, Franzen $4M) versus monstrous contracts of other stars (the list is endless but specifically Kariya $6M, Vanik $7.1M). He carefully selects key role players that are often overlooked or misused by other organizations (Cleary, Bertuzzi, Miller, Eaves) and provides them an opportunity to succeed in the right system (at a cheap price). He has balanced our cap space with careful skill so we don't end up with too many players and not enough cap room and the discipline to not overpay for UFA who don't want to sacrifice for the greater good of the team (ignoring Hossa which would have caused the Red Wings to sacrifice long term youthful prospects like Chicago will be forced to do after this season). He has hired and directs a scouting program that is the envy of NHL organizations and relies on a robust and established farm system and player development program. Ken Holland has earned every ounce of praise he has received. Player savvy, respected by the NHL community, financially disciplined, and if nothing else - 4 Time Stanley Cup winner. He has exceed well above the "average" of any GM out there. The Red Wings are a fantastic organization - a model franchise - and I count myself fortunate to be a fan of theirs. I respect all the work that the players and the owners have put forward to produce the wonderful success over these last two decades. But I never forget, at the heart of all of this is an amazing and dedicated Front Office that Ken Holland has built. To call him overrated and accuse him of coasting on the accomplishments of others is to ignore the actual scope of his responsibilities as GM and to disregard the overall impact that he has had on this organization.