WMUCarGuy

If I'm not meeting up with my cousin and his wife, I'll be there!

The big question is, if Lilja returns, does that mean Ericsson gets sent down, or does Lebda get put on waivers?

Concerning his +/-, Johnson has played only for the Kings and up until last year, the Kings had been pretty much the worst thing in the league. Lebda on the other hand has played on Detroit which would explain his much higher +/-. I think Johnson could do well here, but he'd have to be willing to be a 3rd line defenseman.

I remember being at the Wings/Kings game in LA last year and it seemed as if half the building was Wings fans. Fast forward to this season's first meeting of the 2 squads and Kings fans massively outnumbered Red Wings fans at Staples Center. LA is obviously doing something right in terms of promoting their team, and it's working as the fans are coming out. And I'm sure it doesn't hurt that the team has played really well and is currently in a playoff spot.

I have Backstrom and Luongo and decided to play them both, hoping for a low scoring affair.

There are actual replica banners you can get that are either like 1ft high or something like 2.5 ft high. That'd be cooler than posters!

Here are my pics from the day. I didn't take anywhere near as many as jacqui! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2402...amp;id=12100317

What a blast! It was great meeting some fellow LGWers and watching the boys practice, but it was a bummer we only got to talk to Leino...

Just finished my "I'm with Draper" shirt! It's super cheesey, but I think it's funny and my mom will laugh her ass off if I can get a pic with Drapes in it! I think I'll redo the M in the morning as it doesn't look quite right. P.s. - Hockey tape is a giant pain in the ass to cut into tiny shapes to make letters out of!

Are we more likely to get to meet/talk/etc with them before or after the practice? After I'd imagine?

Can't wait! Sitting in section 318!

I'll have my Franzen jersey and homemade "I'm with Draper" t-shirt, and likely a Wings hat. Say hello if you run into me! I've never met any Wings before, so I'm stoked and potentially meeting some here. Would you guys address them by their first names, or Mr. last name?

Well the place in the mall that does super cheap screen printing went out of business, so I got creative, and I'm gonna create the phrase using hockey tape!

Awesome! I wish I had more Wings stuff here, it's mostly back in Detroit. I've got a funny idea for a t-shirt though that I'm gonna make. If you've ever seen those t-shirts that say "I'm with stupid" with the arrrow pointing to the side, I'm gonna do the same thing, but have it say "I'm with Draper" and hopefully get my pic taken with him as he's my mom's favorite player and I'm sure she'd find it hilarious!

1. How long do their practices usually go? 2. Is there expected to be a lot of spectators there? 3. Is there any chance us lucky fans might get to meet some of the players?

Have they mentioned who the C and A's are?

I feel like there's been very little on Kronwall lately. Weren't they predicting him back late December, and just after Fil? But now there's no word on him. We could definitely use him on the blue line ASAP!

Strongest team by far on paper, but with so many superstars, does anyone think they might have trouble gelling and playing well as a team?

If you're planning on going to Hockeytown Authentics, it'll be a good 30+ min drive from downtown Detroit. I second the notion of going to Bell's in Kalamazoo. It's been voted the 4th best brewery in the world and is always great fun. They'll have live music if you're there thurs-sat. I went to school at Western Mich. in Kalamazoo and it was always one of my very favorite places to hang out at. Kzoo is a great little town with tons of great bars and restaurants, I'd reccomend the Union, Burdick's, or Olde Peninsula downtown for food, Shakespeares and Waldo's are great bars as well. I'd stay away from Firehouse or Wayside as they're pretty generic and generally full of d-bag fratboys. And not sure what the schedule looks like, but you could pick up a WMU hockey game too if they're playing As has been stated in other, similar threads, the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn is always interesting, especially if you like cars and other forms of industry.

So I'm looking for a great Red Wings "Coffee Table" type book. One with great stories, and lots of big color photos and the like as well. Any you guys would suggest?

Me too! It'll be my 5th game in about 3 weeks!

Is there a reason or a rule as to why almost every goalie wears a number in the 30s?

My thoughts exactly! I saw someone with a Zetterberg Swedish jersey at the Joe last night and now I really want one! I think I'll go with the blue one though, as I've already got the bright yellow U of M hockey jersey, we'll see though!

Are Sweden and Russia the only teams to have been announced so far? Does anyone have the schedule for when the rest of the teams will be announced?

His timing was definitely a bit off, but he looked like he was playing really hard.