The Mule

Read the GDT.

Holmstrom has great hands when he has the time and space to use them.

When Kronwall is on his game, he is excellent.

Did anyone catch Franzen totally benefiting from Datsyuk and Zetterberg last night?

As per TSN: "The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Darren McCarty on waivers on Tuesday. McCarty, 36, signed a one-year contract with the Wings in the offseason after re-joining the club last winter and helping lead the team to its fourth Stanley Cup in 11 years. He returned to Detroit after stints with the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins and the International Hockey League's Flint Generals. McCarty played for Detroit from 1993 to 2004, helping the team win Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998 and 2002. He scored one goal in 10 games this season."

Get real. It's obvious you aren't one to get out of your seat and roar when there's a bout on the ice, but for the love of God, could your post have been any more obnoxious? We're winning with McCarty in our lineup, and although we'd likely win without him, if he isn't acting as a major liability, why fix what isn't broken? Did you by any chance catch the Oil spill last night in Detroit? McCarty dropped the gloves early in the game (a fight in which he was excellent, I might add), and Detroit played like a solid Cup contender for 60 minutes. We've won multiple Cups with McCarty in our lineup, so where's all this angst coming from? Pull your head out of your ass and realize there's a reason Mac was a fan favorite.

If McCarty is assigned to Grand Rapids, or claimed by another team, we will need to call up a forward to fill the vacant spot on the fourth line. Cleary won't be ready. The only option with our current roster is to use Meech, but I doubt that's what the big guns have in mind.

He's a great player, but I don't think he's worth 6.6 million per.

Yes, Helm is in Grand Rapids waiting for his opportunity, and he's playing very well.

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

It's too bad all these players are going down to injury, but on the other hand, all these teams are becoming a tiny bit easier to play against, which is nothing but good news for us.

To be honest, I'm not really sure what this is all about quite yet. McCarty has been playing well enough lately, and he's shown us he can still fight.

You do not let players like Franzen, who is a homegrown talent, and will come with a much cheaper price tag, in order to retain a player like Hossa, who will want a massive raise. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to keep Hossa wearing the Winged Wheel, but not at the cost of Franzen and more.

I had some friends over tonight to watch the game, which explains my absence from this thread, but that was a hell of an effort by the Wings. Conklin was great (and it was awesome to see him pick up his first shutout in a Red Wings jersey), the team worked hard, and McCarty proved he can still throw 'em when he's fired up. Here's to hoping Babcock rides the hot hand and gives Conklin another start on Thursday. We didn't get any production out of some of our superstars (Hossa and Datsyuk), but we still proved we can dominate games using secondary scoring and a lethal power play. This is the team I've been waiting to see all season.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready for an Oil spill.

Positive: Winning games against the Blues just got a whole lot easier. Negative: I had him in my hockey pool, and he was doing well for me.

The Oilers have scored 17 less goals than the Red Wings have with one more game played, so if our defense can play stable hockey tonight, Detroit should have no problem picking up a victory, assuming we're firing on all cylinders. In the spirit of predictions, I'll say Hockeytown takes this one 6-2 on goals from Zetterberg x2, Hossa, Franzen, Rafalski, and Draper. Kronwall will also pick up three assists, two of which will come on Zetterberg's goals.

I doubt either player will have a major impact on their respective teams, but maybe this will wake up the Stars.

You do not replace players like Draper and Maltby with inexperienced, unproven players like Leino (I love him, but he will get his chance sooner than later) if your goal is to win a championship. Draper and Maltby play a signifcant role on this team that obviously you've failed to recognize. Not only is Draper one of the best face-off men in the league, but he and Maltby are both excellent (and fiery) penalty killers.

First of all, don't call me "kid," because I'm far from a child, and don't spew out some garbage about me acting like one, either. Secondly, did you really just tell me to watch more hockey and read less articles? Not only did you pass judgment on me (as I'll politely remind you, you know nothing about me), but also, you're from Australia. Not to make any assumptions about you or your habits, but I'm from Canada, and in case you've fact-checked this incorrectly as well, we eat, sleep, and breathe hockey around these parts. I've been playing hockey since I could skate, I've coached a team that won a significant minor championship, and I've been watching hockey both in person and on television since before color television was invented. Please, hop off your high horse and perhaps re-evaluate your posts before you make assumptions regarding someone else's life. As for Crosby and Malkin, they were paired together at times the year before last, and they both flourished together, both on and off the power play. But just for fun, had they only ever been on the ice together with the extra attacker, I'm still failing to see why the power play should be used to detract from a player's ability to score goals? My Crosby and Malkin example was perfectly relevant, but that's not what we're discussing here, so I'll let that one slide. When it comes to the Mule's 12 goals in 56 games prior to his hot spell, please keep in mind that those 12 goals (which alone are more than more than half the players in the league are able to tack up each year) came before he hit his stride and gained confidence in himself. Prior to his hot streak, Franzen was playing as a rookie would, which is to say he was still looking for his niche. Correct me if I'm wrong, but 12 goals from a player lacking significant confidence is a hell of a feat, especially on an elite team filled with talent. Franzen proved he can score goals without Hank and Pavel, and he proved he can score goals with Hank and Pavel. I'm still failing to understand why the goals he scored with two superstars (which I'd like to once again point out he was rarely paired with both at the same time, even during Holmstrom's injury) should equal less work from the Mule. He was still the one to put the puck in the net, he still had to get himself in a proper position to score the goal, and he still had to drive the net to earn those goals. Is it Franzen's fault that he scored goals while paired with Datsyuk or Zetterberg? No, it's not. Why should Babcock's line pairings have anything to do with Franzen's ability? The only reason he was ever paired with either of those two to begin with was because he had already shown Babcock that he had the tools to be an elite talent, which came before Holmstrom's injury (early March, and at times throughout the earlier parts of the season) and before he was ever paired with Datsyuk or Zetterberg. Enough said. I'm done with this conversation, as frankly (and I'm sure you've noticed), I find it quite pointless, and frankly, you are wrong. You'll probably fire back with another load of useless trash, but I won't fight back, I promise. Pick your poison.

That's too bad, but hopefully he recovers quickly. On the other hand, I'd love to see Helm or Leino in the lineup.

That's great, but as I said when I first entered this discussion, I was referring to the entire month of March, and the first days 9 days of a particular month are just as important as the last two thirds, especially considering Franzen was hot throughout the entire month. You can come up with technicalities to detract from his ability to score on his own all you want, but at least go on the basis I created for the discussion. Did you known Franzen also had an unassisted goal in March? Did Hank and Pavel set that one up, as well?

As per Bruce MacLeod: "Coach Mike Babcock said right after tonight's win that Ty Conklin will start again, Monday -- the first time this season that the No. 2 netminder will get back-to-back starts. Asked why, Babcock answered, "Because I want him to." Babcock later termed the second start a reward for Conklin's performance. Incidentally, Conklin's wife, Erika, will give birth to the couple's third child tomorrow. For a week, the Conklins will have three kids under the age of 3."

With my obvious Lidstrom bias notwithstanding, I think Shane Doan is the best captain in the current NHL.

I will admit, as of late I have felt much more confident with Conk Block in net.