Shutemdown

Link: http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...wney_to_be.html "No one's going to mess with us. If they (do), they better pack a lunch, because I'm here for this team," Downey said. "They want to mess with Hank (Henrik Zetterberg), they want to mess with Pav (Datsyuk), they want to mess with Nick (Lidstrom), I'm here to protect investments. Like an insurance policy: In Aaron we trust." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "(Downey) knows his role, he's there to make sure nothing gets out of hand -- he and McCarty are there to (protect) our guys," Holland said. "But at the same time, are we prepared to let two defensemen go to keep that type of player?" Downey said he plans on expanding his role. "This summer I went back home and put my nose to the grindstone and dedicated an hour every day working on my skills," he said. "I plan on chipping in a few this year, contributing a few points. I plan on playing a fourth-line role where I'm going to be a force to be reckoned with, not just me but that line in general. Obviously, I'm going to stick up for my teammates, take care of business when needed, play a high-energy role, contribute huge body checks, but at the same time, our line's going to contribute, too, on the scoreboard." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Classic.

Taken from the Detroit Free Press, September 18th, 2008: Red Wings on their way to training camp ... and a little golf The defending Stanley Cup champion Red Wings are planning their own version of an international golf tournament later today. The Wings loaded luggage, equipment and golf bags this morning on a couple buses outside Joe Louis Arena, then left for Traverse City. While they'll enjoy playing golf in the northern Michigan resort town, they're heading up there to get back to work. This year's version of training camp will last four days. They'll have a charity golf outing and dinner tomorrow, then spend three days practicing and working out. The Wings will hold their Red vs. White game on Tuesday night, then head back to Detroit for the start of exhibition games. Chris Chelios, 46, is more comfortable on the beach than the links, but even he is looking forward to today's golf competition. "I bring a bike because I hate golf," Chelios told reporters, after loading his gear onto the bus. “I’m playing today because we've got our own Ryder Cup." Chelios said he and Brian Rafalski will represent the Wings' Americans in a battle against captain Nicklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom, who'll represent the Swedes. "We tied last year," Chelios said. "We'll see what happens this year." Lidstrom came about as close to talking trash and you'll ever see. When asked about the golf outing, he referred to the competition as: "the oldest guy in the league and another guy." Hossa speaks with reporters before departing for Traverse City.

That would be a hilarious thread... and they'd all be the same exact Zetterberg jersey. Attack of the clones!! Ahhh!!1!! We're gonna have a Zetterberg army now...

Link: http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/spo...fc8&k=27299 "The season is still a month away, but Tomas Kopecky may have recorded the most important assist of the Detroit Red Wings' campaign to repeat as Stanley Cup champs by helping the team land free-agent winger Marian Hossa this summer. Hossa credited Kopecky with an impressive sales job after he signed July 2 with the Wings. Kopecky sees his role more as just a chance for two close friends to play together in pursuit of a common goal. "We grew up five minutes from each other (in Slovakia)," Kopecky said. "We're really good friends. "Our friendship has just really grown. We work out everyday together in the gym, on the ice and have lunch. He's one of the guys I like to be like." Hossa is expected to join his new teammates for their informal skates at Joe Louis Arena this morning. He won't have to worry about finding a place to live for the season as Kopecky and his wife have offered Hossa a place to stay in their home. Mod edit: Don't post full articles.

Dude, you got everything EXCEPT a Red Wings jersey!

Welcome aboard!

I ordered mine recently, now all I have to do is wait! I'll keep you posted, though... and hopefully I can put up some nice pics once it gets here!

That one of Lids in the boat is sweet...

Superdeluxe-- Do you already have a paypal account? Or have you made any purchases with Paypal within the recent past? I just ordered one about an hour ago and it went through without me even having to type in a credit card number. When I checked up on the purchase summary, it said that, via paypal, my account was charged $50 (which is correct). Turns out I used paypal maybe a month ago when I purchased my DRW Hossa jersey t-shirt and my infomation was still stored (safely) in paypal. So I didn't have to worry about pulling my card out, apparently my eBay paypal and this paypal are the same thing and is already one step ahead of me. Heh... I'll let everyone know how it looks... I'm SO excited to have a Zetterberg jersey... I don't even care if it's a replica as long as people know which team I'm rooting for!

Believe it or not, Datsyuk used to come into Holiday Market on Main St. in Royal Oak ALL THE TIME, the one right across from the Detroit Zoo water tower. He had JUST joined the team, so he wasn't as well-known (or well-liked) as he is now, and his english was VERY poor. I worked as a cashier and he had just bought a condo a couple blocks away, so he was in there probably every other day. Nobody knew who he was at all... I watched every single red wings game, so of course I knew who he was. The first time he came in and I recognized him, I walked up to him and shook his hand and told him he was one of my favorite players. From that day on, he would come in and recognize me, and he always came through my line. He only ever bought 2 things: Vitamin Water and Sushi. haha

Dude... haven't you ever seen Datsyuk fight? This matchup would be questionable...

Have we even seen Hossa skate with the Wings yet? Nope... Yeah, in practice maybe, but let the man learn how the team operates and get used to his line-mates/team, and I'll BET he'd be a great fit on this team. He's already said he's loved our style of play since playing against us in the '08 SCF. This is my run-down on everything... Hossa took less money to come here for one year. He didn't know if it'd even be worth it, but he did it. That shows that he believes in this team. He proved he's not about money right now, he's about winning. He's made nearly $6-7 every season for the past 5 seasons (maybe a little less, I didn't check any actual numbers), which would be plenty of money. He's already said it's not about money. He was also willing to take less money than Lids, so that rules out him asking for $8-9M next season, at least from Detroit. Let's say hypothetically that we can sign Hossa for around $7.5, Hank for $7M, that would leave money left to try and re-sign Huds and Franzen (Sammy, IMO could be let go). We have so much depth even in our farm team that I wouldn't worry about getting rid of "role-players" on the team... Helm and Ericsson are ready to go, and we could see Ville Leino. Also, these players from GR would probably sign smaller contracts, which could free up a little room under the cap (I'm saying if we were to trade, for instance, Sammy and Hudler, we could bring in Helm and Leino for smaller contracts and free up some space). We could all just cross out fingers for Chelios to retire, too... there's an easy $725,000 right there. With the cap possibly raising next year, there will be a couple options available. Until then, we're all just going to have to relax and enjoy the show...

Quincey willing to fight for spot with Red Wings DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey isn't looking for a fight, he just wants to add an element that will increase his value. That's why Quincey worked on improving his fighting skills over the summer, getting pointers from team enforcer Aaron Downey. "I'm not going to go look for it, but when it happens, hopefully be ready,'' Quincey said. "Just trying to find my niche. Some guys need protection. If I'm on the ice, I'm going to jump in. It's part of my game I kind of enjoy doing. If it helps me make the team, it helps me make the team, so I'm going to do everything it takes.'' That's what Quincey told general manager Ken Holland during his exit interview in June. "He just said, 'I don't want you fighting heavyweights,' '' Quincey said. "I said, 'I know, Kenny, I'm just telling you I'm here for the team.' I want to be here so bad, I'll do anything.'' The Red Wings have more defensemen (nine who aren't exempt from waivers) than they have room for (eight) and are about $300,000 over the $56.7 million salary cap. Quincey, who on Tuesday signed a two-year contract that averages $525,000 a season, will compete for a roster spot with Brett Lebda, Derek Meech and Andreas Lilja. One is likely to be traded before the regular season. Quincey, 23, hasn't fought much during his junior career or in the AHL with Grand Rapids. When he has, he said he "would just throw (punches), no rhyme or reason.'' So he got together with Downey, who lives less than an hour away from Quincey's off-season home in Orangeville, Ontario, and hit the heavy bag. "I owe a lot to Downs,'' Quincey said. "Fighting is a skill, just like stick-handling and shooting, so it's something I have to work on. We got a lot of skilled guys that shouldn't be doing that, so guys like me should step in and do it for the team.'' Downey said the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Quincey has some potential as a fighter and said he shared some philosophies with him about "the art of fighting.'' "I worked on some basic fundamentals with him, learn how to tie a guy up, learn how to throw a proper punch, learn how to defend himself,'' Downey said. "He's got good size and a good reach, now it's just up to him. It's the mental part, learning how to turn it on, when to engage, when not to engage, when to do it for the team.'' Has he gotten better? "I think so,'' Quincey said. "My first fight we'll see.'' Quincey's main objective is to play solid defense, like he did during a pressure-packed 13-game stint as an injury replacement in the 2007 playoffs. Any chance he had of winning a roster spot last season was dashed when he shattered a bone in his hand in training camp. He was further hampered by a herniated disk in his back throughout the season in Grand Rapids. "Ken Holland was saying to me the last couple of years, 'Just be patient, your time will come,' ''Quincey said. "It's up to me to show them when my time is. If I'm ready, they'll find a spot for me.'' And if he's not? "You can't worry about what you can't control,'' Quincey said. "If they decide to trade me, then that's their decision.''

... or we could win the cup this year, Hossa will want another one and to stick with the team, so he'll re-sign for less and we'll win 5 straight. Ahh... in a perfect world...

I wouldn't even worry about a "hangover" until playoff time. Until then, I think the first hurdle will be playing 82 games without sustaining any major injuries...

Moved

I also see lil Flip as a young Zetterberg! Their styles of play are very similar, Z's just better at it... either way, alot of it came with age. I can see Filpulla coming into his own in the next 2 seasons and making a name for himself as another big offensive threat... I mean, just look at who he's playing with... if there's anyone to learn the ropes from, it's Pav and Hank.

My reasoning may have been way off, but when I was thinking of people to put into the "defenseman" category, I figured 99.9% of people on these boards would choose St. Nik anyways, so I didn't even really bother putting Bouwmeester on there. And also, I picked the most elite goalies I could think of in the NHL right now, didn't even think of putting Ozzie on there just because I figured most people (including alot of Wings fans) see him as a SOLID goalie, but not an elite, superstar goalie. I, personally, could go either way on that... he has the stats to prove he's a great goaltender, and I would trust him in any situation to be great and come up big when needed.

Great link, dude! Honestly, I was a little hesitant about these jerseys until I went and looked at those pictures. With the players actually WEARING them, they look pretty good. I like the carbon-colored Hurricanes' symbol on the shoulders, and I also like Ward's goalie pads. Overall, they look pretty put together. I'll just leave it at, "I have nothing bad to say about them."

Sorry, this might be a retarded question, but what does QFT mean? I see it everywhere and never have any idea as to what it means or why people say it... Anyone wanna shed some light?

Reminds me of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers jerseys a couple years back...

I completely agree... him saying that is HUGE! It just speaks praises to his character and dedication to this team. He's coming off a huge year, winning the conn smythe, helping (and basically LEADING his team to the Stanley Cup). If he were a star on any other team with that kind of a season, he'd be looking for MAD cash. The fact that he's still trying to work something out where it won't hurt or affect the TEAM as much just shows what a great team player he is. The whole article was great, but that comment is what shows he's really committed to the team and loves it... putting the team before himself.

I also got excited when I read: Leino update Valtteri Filppula worked out over the summer with fellow Finnish forward Ville Leino, a skilled free agent signed in May who will compete for a roster spot in training camp. Leino is in Chicago, where his agent, Bill Zito, is based, and will arrive in Detroit next week. "I hope he makes it. It would be nice to get another Finn,'' Filppula said. "He has good hockey sense, really good hands, he's a really skilled guy. The way he plays he fits this team good.''

Of course Chelios knows his role on the team... he's so old that any contract he can get would be worth respecting. If he still wants to play, he knows it will be in a limited role for limited money. He doesn't have a choice. That being said, why all the Lilja hate? I always thought he and Lebda made a good 3rd line pairing. I don't understand AT ALL what you meant by him NOT know his place on the team. I think he knows EXACTLY what his role on the team is... Big body, get into shooting lanes, kill the penalty, block all of their shots. And he's always done a pretty damn good job at it. Sure, someone needs to go, but I STILL don't understand some people's reasoning as to why he should go. Saying "he doesn't know his role on the team" doesn't hold much water until you try and explain why... maybe give some examples?