Chunkylover

Happy people perform better. People do what they enjoy with more effort and efficiency than what they dislike. People are more willing to sell out for others if there is an atmosphere of mutual respect. What Mule said is true, and likely applies in the current situation. However, sometimes people refuse to enjoy things and work hard at them as if it were a life's goal. Hopefully that is not our teams problem. If he is saying it, it is probably bouncing around all over in the locker room, starting with the coach, so it is probably true.

Getting out of the first round will help the Wings chances (by hurting Nashville's) of signing Suter I would think.

How do they make their determination?

Good game. Wings have some positives to build on going into Nashville.

Can you prognosticators give me lotto numbers?

Cries for toughness are funny. We're all for vigilante justice when some punk is running around or hacking and slashing, yet we mock those who fight after a clean hit. Enforcing rules is for refs. Otherwise, hockey is tough. The Wings aren't asking to soften the game to suit them and they aren't quitting, so in reality, despite your observation, there is no problem.

There are two ways to inspire performance: fear and love. A coach can yell at his players and chide them personally in the media and maybe get them to perform at a high level for a while, but eventually that method burns itself out. No one wants to be angry all the time, and eventually players stop caring. The alternative is to take the long-view approach. Set a goal and encourage people to perform in a positive way. This way can seem ineffective to outsiders, but the coach and players know they are all on the same team and support each other. Think about what environment you perform your best work in. Ask yourself whether you can maintain the standard for performance in your job that you hold over these players. The goal is to win, and laziness needs to be discouraged, but these constant calls for benching players or calling them out reflects confusion of what constitutes effective leadership.

Franzen really on third line? Is this how it was last game?

Who cares? Not saying those hits aren't enjoyable and it is impossible to say with any certainty whether they can impact a game or not. If they play tough defense and never hit it's still hockey.

Are there any other teams in the big four that stitch each individual letter to the jersey beside the Wings? Any international or minor teams?

So Illitch and the Pistons? No one else? Have the Wings always done it this way. If not anyone know when they started?

I don't understand the hate for this idea. This was the Red Wings' idea as I understand. I'm happy to know my favorite teams GM has the clout to change the whole league. It won't be perfect, but for you nostalgic types who've been pining for the Norris division to return, of course you remember that uneven divisions are the way those great historic divisions were aligned. Even divisions and conferences are actually a Bettman thing, so you should really like this new idea.

I think we fans, and the league, need to be a lot more cautious than we were during the lockout and really consider the effects of what a rules change will produce. Everyone thought the new system was a good idea, but as we've seen, there have been a lot of unintended consequences of the changes made since the lockout. Indeed, the response of the competition committee and owners during the CBA discussion was in response to the unintended consequences from previous decisions and innovations. For instance, on it's own, the current three-point game with the loser getting a point might not have affected the standings as much if it didn't coincide with the salary cap and the introduction of parity. Don't think there won't be problems if we bring back ties or add three point games. Try to figure out what problems will come and then appreciate what we have. You'll enjoy the game a lot more.

He's probably more like Mario, but injuries kept his name from receiving the prestige it might otherwise have merited. High draft, immediate impact player, something of a whiner, injuries keep him out but dont affect him when he returns.

I've watched a few non-Wings broadcasts and noticed that the Wings get mentioned a lot. I always wondered if fans of other teams get annoyed hearing about Detroit when they have no direct reason to be brought up. I guess now I know. It seems to me that Pittsburgh and Chicago have large casual markets, but they chose the Wings to market the NHL against the Cup winners on the special hockey presentation. That makes me happy to be a Wings fan. Pierre is a great hockey mind trapped in a teenagers emotional state. To his credit, at least he's excited about the game. He's actually a good teacher in that way. I've always thought Edzo was more a Pens homer than Hawks. He was more impartial in the '09 WCF than either Final against Pittsburgh.

Robert Lang comes to mind.

To be honest, I had no idea the Finn got a penalty, what were the calls? Is the problem that the Swede should have gotten a longer penalty for ducking?

I would say if you're going to charge at a guy don't expect him to just take your hit like a docile lamb. Does not a player have a right to protect himself? Is getting drilled into the boards the only right way to take a hit? Over-reaction by the refs on what looked like, but turned out not to be, a dangerous play.

Seems like it should have been charging on the other guy rather than clipping.

I always thought this would be a great way for the visiting team to screw with the opponent and take the home crowd out of the game. Not the trapping, but the lagging the puck. Teams do it on the penalty kill all the time: skating into the offensive zone then a long pass to their own blueline.

Some good points have already been stated: 1. Pavel has been a slow starter as has much of the team for the last few seasons. Even with Hossa the chemistry wasn't instant. 2. Not only did he lose a friend in Salei but also Boogaard. I hope his memory of them gives him that added motivation in the playoffs like Vladdy in '98. 3. My input and opinion has been that the "Best Russian" vote and all the highlights from last postseason got him thinking highlight reel plays all the time. In the third against Colorado he seemed to simplify and actually started shooting and, Whammy! Cleary gets the goal. He just needs to stop trying to deke everyone in the building and just make the smart play. Finally, Pavel has never been a lightning fast skater so he may not really be slower than you remember.

If I understand it correctly I like it. It sounds like they would get their six California and Western Canada games out of the way on two respective monster trips. They already do long trips anyway so that shouldn't be an issue. Plus the second game would be intense, like a mini-playoff series. Am I the only one who favors staying in the West for competitive reasons? The Wings notoriously play down to inferior opponents and I'm not so sure they would dominate the East like many here.

Do the people who think we paid for Ericsson think this is an overpayment?

Cap went up. This should have been expected.

Would the Wings be that bad if Holland filled the holes in the roster with guys from the system? It would make the Wings younger, ostensibly quicker, maybe more durable, and eventually some of our prospects need to feel the pressure to perform. How might the roster look and what expectations would you have?