Chunkylover

The real sad thing is that the best thing for the health of the league is for this to be covered up and let it fade into the sunset. Any conspiracy that implicates the league itself would really set back a lot of progress the sport has seen these last few years. Here's a question: how many times do refs and linesmen warn players before penalizing an infraction? I know linesmen will yell at a guy to warn him he's offside, and refs are always warning guys in scrums to avoid roughing penalties. Is it possible, and would anyone be amenable to the refs warning a guy against an infraction that really wasn't affecting his teams offense?

I also doubt there is some conspiracy out there. Even in spite of the TSN video which shows Eaton standing five feet from a linesman and the center-ice ref staring right at him as he skates to the bench. I believe it's possible Eaton was warned. Clearly both the ref and linesman saw him skate off and they could have called him all the way until he got on the bench, but didn't. Still, I think they didn't want to affect the offense which I can in theory agree with. I'd just like some impartiality. You, however, should realize that this is a Red Wings board. Don't be a punk because nobody can hold you to account. Be an adult and control your actions. That was a terrible non-call and we have a right to be upset about it. This is in no way similar to the Hossa "hook/slash" on Dupuis and is only marginally similar to the Zetterberg "glove on puck on back". If that last one bothered you, you should be able to sympathize with us. Most mature fans are in agreement that there have been some non-calls both ways, but that doesn't mean we have to like something as grievous as this.

But he ran the offense last season, and Paul McLean who ran the defense last year is still around. If McCrimmon is the problem, and we have the guy with the solution still around, why haven't they addressed it. Anaheim seemed to have all four guys in between the circles and the goal and it worked against us because we couldn't get to any rebounds. Maybe that's what the Wings are going for? Not only that but the other day Lidstrom either makes a pass which is picked of at the line by Zetterberg and then promptly turned over to the Penguins, or Lidstrom himself bobbles a pass and gives it to Crosby alone in the crease. I'd say the problem right now is fatigue. In the regular season the PK was lazy, and so it sucked. I see your point, keep them out there on the line. It's worked against us. I value the depth though and would probably continue this practice. I remember being at the St Louis game in early February and the Wings killed off a double minor down to the last 19 or so seconds, then got scored on. That's the way things have gone for them this season. Brain farts I guess.

And they thought our bottom six were killing them before.... Although I wonder if Leino can keep up against the Pens second line. Hossa and Helm would be a lethal third line combination. But since Hossa is a shooter and your second line is all playmakers, Hoss and Jay will likely be swapped. In fact Sammy will probably be on the third line. In theory your lines are pretty good, but I trust Babs to put the right lines together.

I don't know if you witnessed anything personally, and I certainly didn't see anything on VS, but if this really did happen he's fined or suspended. It's okay for hockey players to beat up on each other, but grabbing a civilian is assault. If you can post video maybe I'll believe it: trust, but verify. The Penguins played with more jump, got some of those breaks they were asking for and the Wings played sloppy. Osgood isn't melting down. He let in a bad goal, but that happens even to good goalies, you should know that.

I know it seems cocky, but if the Wings don't give the Pens that game there's no way they are capable of taking it on their own. I'm guessing it's a combination of playoff intensity, injuries, and fatigue, but the Wings are killing themselves with the sloppy passes and poor clearing attempts. How many times have the Wings forwards blocked a seemingly successful clearing attempt only to fail to move it the extra five feet and then turn it over for a scoring chance. Osgood is really carrying the team. Even still the Wings took it to the Pens for long stretches of game three. If Datsyuk can play in game three and be at least 75%, the Wings will have an advantage. Pens have no defense, inconsistent goaltending, and almost all their offense comes from the Wings charity. Anyone notice if the Penguins are being called lucky winners or if their success is being downplayed like the Wings in the first two games?

Stanley Cup ratings highest since 2002.

Well, desperation coupled with the energy of the fans will turn into momentum I think. What I should have said is that the Pens will come out hard, like they did last year in game three and the Wings will have their hands full, especially with more injuries. One might argue that another injury could affect the mental state of the Wings and affect the momentum they have from two tough wins. No real disagreement, just perhaps poor word selection on my part. Go Wings!

The Wings will have their hands full in game three. Pittsburgh will have a lot of momentum and we just lost one of our valuable depth players. Drapes will help on those all important face-offs, until the linesman remembers the Hitchcock Curse and kicks him out of the circle. Hopefully he can keep up and Samuelsson can get better quickly. Hopefully Datsyuk will be available soon.

Crosby is playing well. Osgood is just playing better. If anything Crosby is overhyped, but he is in no way overrated. He does exactly what everyone says he can do: he scores, he makes plays, he's becoming more complete as time goes on. Usually the knock against Osgood is that his defense makes him look better than he is. Well this year it's the opposite: the team defense is weaker than before but Ozzie is lights out. The Penguins will have home ice and all the tactical advantages that come with it for the next two games. The Wings don't look like they'll be getting Datsyuk back so they won't be getting any better than they are. The Wings really need to tighten things up a lot to close out this series.

If you want to see bias watch the TSN replays. Hossa should have gotten a slashing penalty, the Wings are only winning because some mystical magical "fate" is smiling on them. No mention of Malkin interfering with Holmstrom and simultaneously pushing his goalie out of position on the Filppula goal. Fleury "gives one up" to Abdelkader as opposed to accurately identifying the terrible defensive coverage and horrible goaltending. Before the series started everyone was giving the Penguins the advantage in the first two games because of the Wings injuries. After Detroit proves them wrong, no mention of the Herculean effort by Detroit with FOUR! rookies on their roster. Unfortunately, if the Wings can bring home the Cup this year it will largely be viewed as unearned because of the pro-Pittsburgh media echo-chamber.

I thought Edzo did a good job during the Chicago series considering he's a paid member of the Chicago broadcast team. He's not exactly been completely in the boat for Pittsburgh because he's called them out for getting away with stuff, but he has gone overboard trying to cast doubt on the Wings success. Annoying as heck, but what are you gonna do? I'd like to see Darryl Reaugh do some color commentary. He's a minimalist when it comes to input and he's usually pretty impartial.

These guys came here because at the time the Wings desperately needed Cup-winning experience. Billy B was the key, Murph-dog was an important contributer, the rest faded into retirement.

I'd expect this place to be a ghost-town if the Penguins win. I know I won't be able to read or watch anything related to hockey until the trade deadline at the earliest and the start of the '10 season at the latest.

Stanley Cup Final Prediction: DET/PIT: 4-3 GO WINGS!

It's great to have him back. He's a very good presence in the locker room. When they interview him he's always well-spoken and insightful and he seems to get along well with everyone. Just having him skating with everyone will be an encouragement. I think it's funny to see Helm and Lilja mentioned as key players given all the slack Lilja has gotten between game five in '07 until this season, and the fact that Helm is only a rookie grinder. I'm glad the Wings have such threatening depth.

I was discussing match ups with a Penguins fan who pointed out how Kunitz targeted Timonen (everyone remember that hit) in the ECQF and that he'd probably do the same to Lidstrom. Given that Nick is already hurt and there really is no overly physical presence on our top line, what do you think about putting Jr. and Stu out against Crosby/Guerin/Kunitz and matching Malkin against Nick and Raffi. Granted Malkin and Fedotenko are big and can throw their weight around and Talbot is on that line, but I don't see them playing the body as effectively.

There is still a lot of hockey to play before the Cup is ours and Pittsburgh is going into this year on a better footing than last year. Nevertheless, I trust the Wings can repeat. Crosby is a good player. I don't like either Crosby or Ovechkin that much but it's difficult to argue that OV is "THE BETTER PLAYER". Sid isn't crying as much as he used to, I think part of that is the coaching change, because we all know how a team can take on the attitude of it's coach.

Ed Olczyk bugged the crap out of me last season in the Final and the VS coverage of game four against Colorado with Forslund and Brickley was the absolute worst coverage ever. Brickley is terrible. With that said, Edzo has been much more balanced in his commentary and although his cadence is somewhat clumsy I've actually appreciated some of what Pierre McGuire has had to say. Doc Emrick has an annoying voice but he is the best PxP guy over at VS, HM to Beninatti. I wish Reaugh could get tapped to be the analyst for some of the Final because he keeps his comments simple but always throws in some crazy adjectives.

Except it's only speculation. Not denying it's possible. If on the outside chance the Wings were considering retiring Fedorov's number, and his signing in the KHL is an attempt to avoid prosecution, this ends that discussion.

If the Wings win the Cup, and they are able to somewhat suppress Malkin and Crosby I think Osgood has a chance. People will remember their doubts of his ability to compete in the playoffs and see how he's turned things around and been the most consistent Wing throughout their run. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but I think the voters will take into account his ability to raise his compete-level, and the fact that a playoff MVP along with a third Cup as starter will secure his place in the Hall of Fame. If Crosby and Malkin are able to continue with their 2+ PPG in the next round, even if they lose the Cup, one of them will be MVP.

Solution: Scrap the salary cap, Detroit retains Hossa, Hudler, Samuelsson, and their near-elite status, then when he's available they sign Luongo, who is more a media favorite than an actual elite performer but I digress, and they can beat up on everyone else like it's 2008, or 2002.

I read this and even Cheli himself questioned JR's statements. With that said I believe Chelios might have expressed displeasure with not dressing for games. Let's look at this though: JR, an old Hawk, goes on a Chicago radio show and slams the head coach of the hated Red Wings for not playing one of Chicago's favorite sons. Media sensationalism at its best. On a side note, can anyone name for me the last great American born player? Derian Hatcher is the only American to captain a team to a Stanley Cup in the last while, at least since the mid-eighties. There are no American captains on any of the remaining teams and only Drury led a team to the post-season, and you could seriously question his and Gomez' abilities given that teams performance. Sure guys like Housley, Modano, Tkachuk, Roenick, and Chelios put up some good numbers and contributed to their teams success, but has the whole "heartless Europeans" debate obscured the fact that few American players evidence passion for the game. Roenick and Chelios have a lot of passion now, now that they must make up for the fact that they've lost a step and aren't competitive with their peers.

I remember Datsyuk for Gionta. The real lesson to learn from these foolish trade proposals is that myopic decisions based on a dearth of information are always disproved in hindsight. While we may be "experts" as far as fans go, none of us has the capability of practicing true informed discernment when it comes to the management of a hockey club. Keeping that thought at the forefront of our minds we should avoid holding our opinions as though they were absolute fact, and be patient with others who merely wish to share their opinion.

We actually have a place where this belongs: the thread titled ECF, Penguins vs. Hurricanes.