Chunkylover

Is Ericsson that much worse than Salei. Maybe Salei took less penalties than Ericsson. Would Smith/Ericsson be a lateral move from Salei/Ericsson? I think the defensive problems might have had a lot to do with strategy and shaky goaltending in the regular season because our defense last season was the same on paper, if not better, than the 2008 team. Granted, a healthy Rafalski is better than an injured Rafalski, Lidstrom has aged, and Stuart struggles with consistency, but Salei/Ericsson is in no way worse than Lilja/Lebda. Team commitment to defense and great goaltending (2008 tandem was not just a product of the system) made the difference then and must be rediscovered to move forward. Injuries were probably the main thing that hurt us against the Sharks this year. I disagree that other teams have the Wings number, but in any regard, once the team adjusts to the coaching transition it will likely present problems for those opponents who knew what to expect against Detroit. Health is obviously key, and is not guaranteed by youth (Crosby/Malkin injuries), but the prevailing idea is that the Wings must get younger. The cap prevents the Wings from having their cake and eating it too. We can't just poach young, established stars anymore. I wonder what guys like Datsyuk and Zetterberg, who never saw the minors, displayed to management that our current prospects lack.

Is Kronwall incapable of being our #1 defenseman. He was awesome in the playoffs. I don't see Lidstrom/Smith as the second pairing as a bad idea. Wasn't Ericsson part of the first pairing in the '09 playoffs. My thinking is that guys like Setoguchi can perform, why can't ours?

At least they won the Cup two of the three seasons they finished third overall. That should be encouraging, if you are the superstitious type.

Good points. I think the Anaheim series in '07 was credited by many Wings as the motivation for their '08 run. Sure they lost to Pittsburgh in '09 and didn't go far the next season in response, but I think they were pretty well burned out at that point. Getting revenge for the embarrassment of the near sweep to the Sharks would be pretty good motivation. Plus Thornton always gets passionate when he plays the Wings, which I think helps guys like Kronwall and Zetterberg.

I see Babcock going for depth and therefore keeping Datsyuk and Zetterberg separate unless there is a dire need for a goal. They haven't really worked together consistently since '08. Seems unlikely he would break up the fourth line unless they become ineffective or an injury occurs. Holmstrom of course could end up sliding down to the third line with Abdelkader/Hudler or Filppula moving up at the end of a close game for more offense or defense respectively. I see Abdelkader and Miller higher on the depth chart than Hudler or Modano. Really not a bad line up in any way. Franzen - Datsyuk - Holmstrom Cleary - Zetterberg - Bertuzzi Abdelkader/Hudler- Filppula - Miller/Modano Draper - Helm - Eaves I've always wondered why Helm never saw time on the top line after injury shuffles. It seems to me he'd be able to hang with Pavel and his hands can't be worse than Homer's.

Your list is pretty spot-on. I'll say: Hart Trophy: Datsyuk. I think his efforts in game one may have inspired the rest of the team. Lady Byng: I'll say Rafalski based on your logic. Vezina: Howard obiously. Norris: Kronwall. Bill Masterton: Lidstrom. He's obviously feeling his age and isn't who he was just three seasons ago, but he's still very good despite his age. Ted Lindsay: Since this one would be voted on by the players, I think it would also go to Datsyuk because he seems to be the talk of the league this season. Jack Adams: McCrimmon. Hey, we didn't see any races to five this series, right? Best Moment: Helm's physical plays on Jovo and Yandle leading to goals are vivid memories. Worst Moment: Giving up the 100% PK efficiency.

During the regular season the Wings had three four-game win streaks and their longest was one five-game win streak. Not sure if that says more about their disinterest in the regular season or their ability to step up in the higher pressure, higher stakes environment of the post-season. Additionally, they accomplished this without some key contributors. I wonder if this series will have been enough to get the completely focused for a good long run, or if dispatching the Coyotes as (seemingly) handily as they did will cause them to be overconfident or not fully engaged in playoff mode.

I would have to rank the entire run of playoff series from Calgary 2007 to Pittsburgh 2009 as my favorites. The 2007 team proved a lot of people wrong and showed a lot of heart. It got revenge on the Flames for 2004, made a mockery of the Sharks bandwagoners in the media, and started a rivalry with the Ducks. The 2008 team was one of the best Wings teams since 2002 (based on top to bottom efficiency) and every series was great. Nashville was tough, and a little bit of a trench battle, but who could forget McCarty scoring in game two. Mule dismantles Colorado. The Dallas series was very good. 2009 was destined to happen. First round showed the Wings were able to step up their play for the postseason and was delightful from the standpoint that it's always enjoyable to watch a clinic. Ducks round two. Hawks series with Helm's winner. Finals rematch was great until game six. I can't think of a better run in the last ten years, and this stretch is preceded only by the runs from 1995-1998 for prolonged success. Outside these seven seasons the 20 year history of Red Wings playoff hockey is a catalogue of first and second round upsets and disappointments.

I guess the interesting thing to take from his statements is he actually thinks they could make it that far.

I think the real problem is the Wings defensive positioning since '09. It seems the defensemen are trained not to depart from the side of the crease and the forwards are playing way too tight of a box to ever get to a loose puck. When someone does get to a loose puck before the opposition, they are usually outnumbered because the rest of the players are in such a tight box that they are in no position to offer support. Contrast this with the larger box they played in '08 and their proficiency at clearing the zone. Not sure if McCrimmon brought this strategy with him, but it coincides his arrival. What I don't understand is that if Babcock and MacLean can see that the Wings have a problem on defense, and both of them were there for the magic that was the 2008 Red Wings, why haven't they done anything to correct the problem?

I disagree. I like that the Wings music guy thinks about clever songs to play after holding or tripping penalties and finds out either what songs the player likes or whatever rubric he uses. It's classy.

Some of these have been pretty interesting and inspired and some have been pretty lame. The Red Wing looks more like an 80's Transformer than a super-human. It would have been more appropriate if the helmet resembled a falcon rather than a hawk, but whatever. I think it bears remembering that Stan Lee was writing comics before science made sense to the common man. I think it's funny that the Canuck can make weapons out of rain, but back when Lee was writing, the Human Torch could knock people around with a flame-hammer.

I've always thought the Dallas announcers were good, although their call of the game last night probably has a lot to do with the large Red Wings fanbase in the DFW metroplex. They have to be bi-polar homers. How should we judge this game? Are the stars the better team that just got tired after the back-to-back, or were the Wings the better team that started slow after 3 in 4?

Probably best that they lost. They played well, but like the St. Louis game, were very sloppy and were carried by their bottom lines. Lidstrom, Franzen, Datsyuk, and Zetterberg have to step up. Nick missed like five shots on that 5-on-3, and he's getting paid $6M to hit those. Just like in '08, it's good for them to go through periods where they play poorly (according to their standards) and lose, rather than winning games they admit they could have played better.

The Wings still have plenty high profile fans. Besides, if it's an animated extra, then it's more likely one of the animators was a fan. I remember in 24 season 3 one of the extras on the show had a Red Wings mug or ballcap on his desk. Just a random placement by an unnamed fan who prepped the scene.

I'm a little concerned about his comments about Modano's work ethic.

No, 29 owners respect him as well. I don't hate him. Most people that do blame him for things he hasn't really been responsible for. It's not Bettman's job to make fans happy, he is supposed to make the owners happy. He doesn't work for us, he doesn't work for the players, he doesn't work for TV, he works for the owners and is answerable to them. It is the owners' responsibility to make the fans and players happy. Which is why salaries for players are so high, and why owners are always trying to find ways to cut costs to the fans without compromising the ability to generate revenue. No money in means no money out. Clearly, based on the 18-year tenure, Bettman is doing a good job as determined by the only people who really should matter to him. If you aren't happy with VS or southern teams, blame the owners who moved them or the networks that despised the game.

Lehtonen likes to do things associated with the city/state he's playing in. He had Ludacris or something like that on his mask in Atlanta. I don't think it was his idea either, he let the artist choose something iconic for the state. This is probably the same thing, although Patrick Duffy might have been more appropriate. Then again, was Kari alive when Dallas was on TV? Nevertheless, nice mask, outside-the-box idea yet actually somewhat related to his region (Walker: Texas Ranger). I still appreciate the Chuck Norris jokes too. It's better than Kill Bill.

I never saw it either. I had a church event that night so I recorded the game on a DVD. Fortunately, I inadvertently found out they lost so I never watched it. I drew a skull-and-cross-bones and wrote "Do Not Watch!" on the disc, although I decided keep it. I still see occasional clips of Crosby with the Cup, but probably the best thing about the 'Hawks winning is that, because the NHL is riding high on that big-city bandwagon, they are pretty much eradicating the Crosby clips.

E_S_A_D? Is that you?

How does this solve their cap problems. They were already over, correct? Does this get them compliant or give them room for more acquisitions. Either way, good job getting someone to take him.

When I saw this title, I expected to see the Hindenburg in the first post.

What interest/concerns me most is whether Datsyuk and Zetterberg can pass off what they learned from Yzerman, Hull, et al to the next wave. That is what is most important. Sure D and Z had talent before they came here, but so did guys like Patrick Stefan and Alexandre Daigle. Unfortunately for the latter they did not learn the game from Hall of Famers like the late-round also rans we have here in Detroit. Datsyuk can barely speak English, though he's probably better than he lets on, but unless we gets some young Russians he will be limited in his ability to teach the kids. Zetterberg can speak well, and he certainly has the personal dedication to excellence, but I wonder sometimes if he has what it takes to lead like Yzerman and Lidstrom. Perhaps I'm holding him to too high a standard at this point, but sometimes he seems bored with life, especially during interviews, and I wonder how he is in the locker room. We all know how Hull really took Datsyuk under his wing, and there was a real nurturing of the younger by the older. Watching them on the bench I really got the impression that Hull cared about Pavel's development, and that Pavel really looked up to and respected Brett. That's the kind of leadership we'll need here to keep this party going.

You forgot the pride of Collier County, Ray Finkle.

Round 1: SJS/COL: 4-1 CHI/NSH: 4-3 VAN/LAK: 4-2 PHX/DET: 2-4 WAS/MTL: 4-1 NJD/PHI: 4-1 BUF/BOS: 4-2 PIT/OTT: 4-3 WC Champion: Detroit Red Wings EC Champion: New Jersey Devils SCF Champion: Detroit Red Wings